Been Here Along

Name: Been Here Along
Author: Sandy Hall
ISBN: 9781250100658

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

He's in Love with the Boy Next Door

by Sandy Hall

Reading Level 4-5 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Gideon’s heart races as he watches Kyle laugh with his girlfriend, but something inside him shifts—feelings he didn’t expect. Suddenly, everything Gideon thought he knew about their friendship feels different. Will he keep this secret or tell Kyle the truth?

Themes

LGBTQ+ Representation Friendship Coming of Age RomanceYoung Adult Fiction

Quick Assessment

This young adult novel explores themes of self-discovery and LGBTQ+ identity through the story of Gideon, a teenager grappling with unexpected feelings for his best friend. Appropriate for ages 13-18, it sensitively addresses the complexities of friendship, romantic feelings, and personal growth without explicit content.

Why we rated Been Here Along LE (Mild)

Been Here Along is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 240 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 Been Here Along as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. 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 mild intensity score.

Thematically, Been Here Along explores lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age, romance, and young adult fiction — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · 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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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