Alice Austen Lived Here

Name: Alice Austen Lived Here
Author: Alex Gino
ISBN: 9781338733891

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Alex Gino

Reading Level 4-5 LE · Mild · Emotional 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. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Sam is no ordinary middle schooler—they're nonbinary and proud, and they’re about to shake up their history class. When a contest to design a statue of a famous Staten Islander pops up, Sam and their friend TJ choose to honor Alice Austen, a trailblazing lesbian photographer. But can they convince their teacher that heroes come in all forms?

Challenged Book

About & Banning Context

Ages 9–12

In this novel, Sam, a nonbinary teenager, navigates their identity and the challenges of adolescence. They share a close friendship with TJ, who also identifies as nonbinary. While Sam's family is supportive, they still expect Sam to fulfill typical responsibilities like cleaning their room and completing homework. A significant conflict arises in Sam's history class, where the teacher seems to overlook the contributions of diverse figures in history, focusing instead on a narrow perspective. When a contest is announced in Staten Island for a new statue, Sam seizes the opportunity to honor Alice Austen, a photographer who lived with her female partner and whose home is now a museum. This project becomes a journey for Sam to explore and celebrate a vibrant queer history that deserves recognition.

Key Themes

identity queer history friendship family support self-discovery

Reviewed By

★ Booklist

Source: Unite Against Book Bans — Alice Austen Lived Here

Themes

LGBTQ+ Representation Friendship Coming of Age FamilySchool & EducationSocial Justice

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows Sam, a nonbinary student who embarks on a school project to propose a statue honoring Alice Austen, a historically significant lesbian photographer. The story thoughtfully explores themes of identity, acceptance, and challenging traditional norms within an educational setting. Suitable for ages 9-12, it presents positive LGBTQ+ representation and addresses social themes with sensitivity.

Why we rated Alice Austen Lived Here LE (Mild)

Alice Austen Lived Here is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 176 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Alice Austen Lived Here on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Alice Austen Lived Here as LE (Mild, mostly 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, Alice Austen Lived Here explores lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age, family, and school & education — 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.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?