All that was

Name: All that was
Author: Karen Rivers
ISBN: 9780374302467

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

A Novel

by Karen Rivers

Reading Level 3 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Piper was the brightest star in the sky, and Sloane was lucky to call her best friend. But when Piper suddenly disappears, everything changes—who can you trust when your world feels upside down? This is a story about love, secrets, and learning how to heal when someone you care about is gone.

Themes

FriendshipLoss & GriefComing of Age Family

Quick Assessment

Sloane and Piper have been best friends since childhood until Sloane kisses Piper's boyfriend, Soup, and Piper is found dead on a beach the next day. The story follows Sloane and Soup through grief, guilt, and the search for a way to move on, told in alternating perspectives with lyrical prose. Parents should know it deals with death, betrayal, and early romance and dating, though nothing is depicted graphically.

Why we rated All that was ME (Moderate)

All that was is written at a Level 3 reading level across 379 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 All that was as ME (Moderate, mostly 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 — 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, All that was explores friendship, loss & grief, coming of age, and family — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ 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 friendship, loss & grief, coming of age.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: high

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