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The Notebook of Doom, Books 1-5: A Branches Box Set

Troy Cummings

Cover of The Notebook of Doom, Books 1-5: A Branches Box Set

The Notebook of Doom, Books 1-5: A Branches Box Set

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Troy Cummings

Reading Level 4-5 9LP Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th 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

Here’s a secret: Alexander Bopp has a notebook filled with monsters only he and his friends can see. They’re not just any monsters—they’re sneaky, spooky, and sometimes downright weird. But that’s only the beginning.

Quick Assessment

This boxed set includes the first five books of the 'Notebook of Doom' series, featuring a young boy and his friends who use their monster notebook to face various imaginative creatures. Designed for newly independent readers around ages 9 to 12, the books feature easy-to-read text and illustrations on every page to support reading confidence. The series contains mild spooky themes appropriate for middle-grade readers and encourages imagination and problem-solving.

Why we rated The Notebook of Doom, Books 1-5: A Branches Box Set 9LP

The Notebook of Doom, Books 1-5: A Branches Box Set is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 144 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Notebook of Doom, Books 1-5: A Branches Box Set works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate The Notebook of Doom, Books 1-5: A Branches Box Set as 9LP ("Light — Physical") 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 Notebook of Doom, Books 1-5: A Branches Box Set explores adventure, friendship, fantasy world-building, humor, and school — 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 adventure, friendship, fantasy world-building.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

9LP — Light — Physical
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Light
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

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

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
4
Emotional Weight
4
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

144 pages
ISBN
9781338253368
Pages
144
Publisher
Scholastic Inc.
Published
Oct 31, 2017
Type
Fiction

Subjects

Monsters_fictionSchools_fictionFireflies_fictionHorror StoriesMonstersSchoolsFireflies