Between two skies

Name: Between two skies
Author: Joanne O'Sullivan
ISBN: 9780763690342

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Joanne O'Sullivan

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

A Junior Library Guild Selection

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

What if a huge storm swept you away from everything you know? Imagine living in a tiny fishing town where the sky stretches wide and the water sings. When the storm hits, Evangeline's world turns upside down — and a new friendship might be the key to finding hope again.

Themes

Coming of Age Family FriendshipLoveAdventure Social Justice Historical

Quick Assessment

After Hurricane Katrina destroys her Louisiana fishing town, sixteen-year-old Evangeline becomes a refugee and forms a tender romance with a fellow displaced teen while facing loss, upheaval, and questions about class, politics, and belonging. The storm's aftermath includes chaos, destruction, and grief, handled with a steady, emotionally focused tone. Romance is gentle rather than explicit, making this a reasonable choice for older teens who can handle serious disaster themes.

Why we rated Between two skies ME (Moderate)

Between two skies is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 267 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 two skies 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, 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, Between two skies explores coming of age, family, friendship, love, and adventure — 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.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about coming of age, family, friendship.
✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — Between two skies carries an award.

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

Mild

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Moderate

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?