The suffering tree
Elle Cosimano
The suffering tree
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Elle Cosimano
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
What if your new home held a dark secret buried deep beneath the earth? Tori’s family just inherited a mysterious house in a town that doesn’t want them there. When a ghostly figure rises from a grave in her backyard, everything Tori thought she knew is about to change.
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade supernatural mystery follows Tori Burns, who moves to a small town after inheriting a house that causes tension with the local family, the Slaughters. The story explores themes of family secrets, mental health struggles including self-harm, and supernatural elements like ghosts and curses. Suitable for ages 9-12, parents should be aware of sensitive topics such as self-harm and emotional distress.
Why we rated The suffering tree 12ME
The suffering tree is written at a Level 7 reading level across 357 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The suffering tree works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate The suffering tree as 12ME ("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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Self-Harm, Supernatural Themes.
Thematically, The suffering tree explores supernatural, family, secrets, mental health, and mystery — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about supernatural, family, secrets.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781484726594
- Pages
- 357
- Publisher
- Disney-Hyperion
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction