This totally bites!
Ruth Ames
This totally bites!
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Ruth Ames
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.
We may earn a commission from these links. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores with every purchase.
About This Book
Emma-Rose Paley isn’t like anyone else—she hates sunshine, garlic, and even loves gloomy gray days. But when her great-aunt Margo arrives with mysterious stories, Emma-Rose discovers a secret that could change everything: what if she’s a real vampire? This revelation turns her world upside down in ways she never expected.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows 12-year-old Emma-Rose as she navigates feelings of difference and identity after uncovering a family secret involving vampirism. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story explores themes of self-discovery and belonging with gentle supernatural elements and light suspense. Parents should note that the book touches on cultural family heritage and mild fantasy themes without graphic content.
Why we rated This totally bites! 9LE
This totally bites! is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 184 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, This totally bites! works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate This totally bites! as 9LE ("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, This totally bites! explores friendship, family, coming of age, juvenile fiction, and supernatural — 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 friendship, family, coming of age.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
Similar Books
Based on content and theme analysis
Eighth grade bites
Z Brewer
Eighth grade bites
Z Brewer
At First Bite
Ruth Ames
At First Bite
Ruth Ames
Boys that bite
Marianne Mancusi
Boys that bite
Marianne Mancusi
How to be a vampire
Amy Tipton Gray
How to be a vampire
Amy Tipton Gray
Bites
Allen B. Ury
Bites
Allen B. Ury
Vampire Kisses
Ellen Schreiber
Vampire Kisses
Ellen Schreiber
Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780545258401
- Pages
- 184
- Publisher
- Scholastic
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Fiction