Year of the Buttered Cat
Susan Haas
Year of the Buttered Cat
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Mostly True Story
by Susan Haas
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
Lexi races through the house, heart pounding as she hunts for the missing family cat. Suddenly, a mysterious letter slips from the pages of her book, sparking a search that pulls her into a web of secrets and friendship. But when her friends vanish one by one, Lexi faces a choice that could change everything.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Lexi, a teen with a physical disability resulting from a traumatic event in infancy, as she prepares for a risky brain surgery. The story explores themes of friendship, family, loss, and self-discovery, highlighting Lexi's courageous journey to find her voice and independence. Suitable for ages 9-12, it handles complex emotional topics with sensitivity and hope.
Why we rated Year of the Buttered Cat 12ME
Year of the Buttered Cat is written at a Level 7 reading level across 323 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Year of the Buttered Cat works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Year of the Buttered Cat 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.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Year of the Buttered Cat explores friendship, family, loss, disability representation, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, family, loss.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
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.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781734225938
- Pages
- 323
- Publisher
- Penelope Editions
- Published
- 2021
- Type
- Nonfiction