All we know of love
Nora Raleigh Baskin
All we know of love
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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
Natalie is no ordinary teen—she’s on a secret mission to find the mom who vanished without a trace. With nothing but courage and a bus ticket, she dives into the unknown, chasing answers that could change everything. What will she discover about love, loss, and herself along the way?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Natalie, a nearly sixteen-year-old girl who embarks on a journey from Connecticut to Florida to find her mother who left her family years earlier. The story explores themes of family abandonment, emotional struggles, and self-discovery, suitable for readers aged 9-12. Parents should note the sensitive topics of loss and complex family dynamics handled thoughtfully within the narrative.
Why we rated All we know of love 11IE
All we know of love is written at a Level 6 reading level across 201 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, All we know of love works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate All we know of love as 11IE ("Intense — 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, thematic difficulty — 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 love explores family, loss & grief, emotional problems, voyages & travels, and interpersonal relations — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, loss & grief, emotional problems.
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
11IE — Intense — 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
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780763636234
- Pages
- 201
- Publisher
- Candlewick Press
- Published
- 2008
- Type
- Fiction