All the forever things
Jolene Perry
All the forever things
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Jolene Perry
The text is written at a 6th 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
What happens when your best friend starts changing and suddenly you don’t fit in anymore? Gabriella has always known about death from working in her family’s funeral home, but friendship feels a lot more complicated. Can Gabe find a way to hold on to what matters most before everything falls apart?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores themes of friendship, change, and coping with loss through the eyes of Gabriella, who grows up around death in her family’s funeral home. The story sensitively addresses the challenges of shifting friendships and the impact of a traumatic accident, suitable for readers aged 9-12. Parents should note the book handles themes of death and grief with thoughtful care and includes a realistic depiction of adolescent relationships.
Why we rated All the forever things 11ME
All the forever things is written at a Level 6 reading level across 266 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, All the forever things works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate All the forever things as 11ME ("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 — 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 the forever things explores friendship, family, death, interpersonal relations, 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, death.
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
11ME — 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
- 9780807525326
- Pages
- 266
- Publisher
- AW Teen
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction