Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Blind
Rachel DeWoskin
Blind
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Rachel DeWoskin
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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.
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About This Book
Emma’s world flips upside down when she loses her sight, but she’s not letting that stop her. Starting high school as a sophomore, she discovers that some changes open doors to new strengths and unexpected friendships. What will Emma find on this new path?
Themes
Quick Assessment
After a serious accident leaves fifteen-year-old Emma blind, she returns to high school and learns that much of her life has shifted, sometimes for the better, as she works to hold onto memories of her family and the world she once saw. The book handles the hospital aftermath, medical details, and emotional adjustment with honesty, including grief and fear, and is best suited to readers who can process loss and recovery themes. Parents should know it is a family-centered story with a hopeful, reflective tone rather than graphic or intense content.
Why we rated Blind ME (Moderate)
Blind is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 394 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 Blind 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 — 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, Blind explores disability representation, family, coming of age, and interpersonal relations — 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 disability representation, family, 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 · EmotionalReading 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.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780670785223
- Pages
- 394
- Publisher
- Viking
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction