All we know of heaven

Name: All we know of heaven
Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard
ISBN: 9780061345784

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

A Novel

by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

Crunch! The icy road crackles beneath tires, and suddenly everything changes in a blink. One best friend is gone, the other barely clings to life, tangled in a mystery that no one saw coming. Feel the quiet heartbreak and the fierce hope that rises when everything is turned upside down.

Themes

FriendshipGriefFamily Coming of AgeRehabilitationHigh Schools

Quick Assessment

A fatal winter car crash leaves one teen dead and her best friend in a coma, and the story follows the families through grief and a hospital mix-up that no one saw coming. Expect detailed portrayals of death, serious injury, recovery, and the emotional toll on loved ones, with a hopeful focus on healing. It suits mature teen readers who can handle sustained grief and a medical error at the story's heart.

Why we rated All we know of heaven ME (Moderate)

All we know of heaven is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 312 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 we know of heaven 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 we know of heaven explores friendship, grief, family, coming of age, and rehabilitation — 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, grief, family.

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

Intense ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

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?