Always Raining Here
Hazel and Bell
Always Raining Here
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Hazel and Bell
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Carter is on a mission: to find love, or at least a date, in the tricky halls of high school. But when he sets his sights on Adrian, a hardworking teen hiding his own heartache, things get complicated fast. What happens when friendship, feelings, and secrets collide in a world where every choice matters?
Quick Assessment
This graphic novel explores the realistic and heartfelt journey of two gay teenagers navigating high school, family expectations, and their own emotions. It addresses themes of young love, self-discovery, and friendship with sensitivity appropriate for older teens. Parents should note the story includes teenage relationships and emotional challenges but handles them thoughtfully.
Why we rated Always Raining Here 11IE
Always Raining Here is written at a Level 6 reading level across 256 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Always Raining Here works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Always Raining Here 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, social complexity, 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, Always Raining Here explores lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age, family, and romance — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ 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 lgbtq+ representation, friendship, 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.
- ! 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
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781250870131
- Pages
- 256
- Publisher
- First Second Books
- Published
- 2025
- Type
- Fiction