A cry of angels.

Name: A cry of angels.
Author: Jeff Fields
ISBN: 0689105932

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jeff Fields

Reading Level 7 IS · Intense · Social Ages 13+ Matched Rich Discussion

The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IS, means intense content, mostly social.

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About This Book

Can two orphaned best friends, one white and one Black, keep their bond intact in Quarrytown's Ape Yard in the mid-1950s? Their boardinghouse is full of dreamers, and architect Jayell Crooms wants to rebuild the slum with its own residents, a plan that puts him on a collision course with Doc Bobo, a small-town schemer who rules the town like a feudal lord. When that much ambition collides with that much power, who gets to keep what they love?

Themes

Friendship Coming of Age Family Historical Social Justice

Quick Assessment

Earl Whitaker and Tio Grant, two teenage orphans who are best friends, grow up in a 1950s Georgia boardinghouse alongside adults who dream of rebuilding their slum on their own terms. The novel deals with poverty, period racism, binge drinking, loneliness, and a tense power struggle with a manipulative local ruler. Written for an adult market, it suits mature teens who can handle those themes in a historical setting.

Why we rated A cry of angels. IS (Intense)

A cry of angels. is written at a Level 7 reading level across 383 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate A cry of angels. as IS (Intense, mostly social) because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Racial Discrimination, Poverty & Hardship, Substance Use, Loss & Grief, Moral Complexity.

Thematically, A cry of angels. explores friendship, coming of age, family, historical, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Family book clubs, classroom read-alouds, and parents who want a strong conversation hook.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, family.

Maybe not for

! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
! Children younger than 13 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.

For Parents

Content Intensity

IS · Intense · Social

Emotional

Moderate

Physical

Mild

Social

Intense ←

Thematic

Moderate

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.