Between the notes

Name: Between the notes
Author: Sharon Huss Roat
ISBN: 9780062291721

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Sharon Huss Roat

Reading Level 3-4 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd 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.

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About This Book

Ivy has a secret—her family had to leave their big house and move to a new neighborhood where everything feels different. She's trying to keep it hidden from her friends and even a mysterious boy at school, but when trouble starts knocking, will her secrets stay safe? That’s only the beginning of what Ivy will discover about herself and others.

Themes

Family Friendship Coming of AgePoverty & HardshipSecretsDisability Representation

Quick Assessment

After her family loses their home to hard economic times, Ivy moves to a less affluent neighborhood and starts hiding the change from her friends, which leads to a growing web of lies that becomes harder to keep up. The story deals with money stress, a family adjusting to lost stability, and a younger brother with a disability, all handled with humor and heart. Parents may want to talk with teens about deception and self-honesty, though the book's focus is on personal growth rather than heavy or explicit content.

Why we rated Between the notes ME (Moderate)

Between the notes is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 382 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 Between the notes 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, social complexity — 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, Between the notes explores family, friendship, coming of age, poverty & hardship, and secrets — 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 family, 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.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Moderate

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?