The gun, the heart, and the perico

The gun, the heart, and the perico is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 344 pages (approximately 88,598 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.3 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The gun, the heart, and the perico works for readers up to grade 6.3.

Read aloud, The gun, the heart, and the perico runs about 9.9 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate The gun, the heart, and the perico as 9ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Loss & Grief, Illness & Injury, Friendship.

Thematically, The gun, the heart, and the perico explores revenge, cancer, orphans, friendship, and multicultural — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.