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The half-true lies of Cricket Cohen

Catherine Lloyd Burns

Cover of The half-true lies of Cricket Cohen

The half-true lies of Cricket Cohen

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Catherine Lloyd Burns

Reading Level 6 11LE Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.

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About This Book

What if telling a little fib could turn your whole world upside down? Imagine a middle schooler and her mischievous grandma running away from home, all because of a few half-true lies. Can they fix the mess before things get completely out of control?

Themes

HumorFamilyAdventureJuvenile Fiction

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows a young girl and her playful grandmother as a series of small fabrications snowball into a runaway adventure. It's a humorous and heartfelt story about family dynamics and the consequences of dishonesty, suitable for readers aged 9 to 12. The book deals lightly with themes of family relationships and youthful mischief without any intense content.

Why we rated The half-true lies of Cricket Cohen 11LE

The half-true lies of Cricket Cohen is written at a Level 6 reading level across 246 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The half-true lies of Cricket Cohen works for readers up to grade 8.0.

We rate The half-true lies of Cricket Cohen as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, The half-true lies of Cricket Cohen explores humor, family, adventure, and juvenile fiction — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

  • Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
  • Kids drawn to stories about humor, family, adventure.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

11LE — Light — Emotional
Emotional
Light
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Light

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

2/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
4
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
7
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

246 pages
ISBN
9780374300418
Pages
246
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Published
2017
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

Humorous StoriesFamiliesFamily LifeGrandmothersImaginationOld AgeSchoolsGrandparentsNew York

Places

New York (State)New York (N.Y.)New York