Chasing secrets

Name: Chasing secrets
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
ISBN: 9780385742535

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Gennifer Choldenko

Reading Level 3 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), 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 would you do if your best friend's dad was trapped in a dangerous place and no one was allowed in or out? Lizzie and Noah face a scary plague in 1900 San Francisco's Chinatown, and they have to be brave to save the people they love. Can they keep their secret and find a way to help before it's too late?

Themes

Multicultural Friendship Family Historical

Quick Assessment

Lizzie and her secret friend Noah team up to uncover why San Francisco's Chinatown is under quarantine and why angry mobs are trying to burn it, while officials insist the plague hasn't arrived. The story blends humor and a medical mystery with historical detail about race and class in 1900, and it includes peril, some tragedy, and a community facing prejudice. Its mild intensity and fast-paced plot suit middle-grade readers, with discussion of discrimination and illness as natural conversation points.

Why we rated Chasing secrets ME (Moderate)

Chasing secrets is written at a Level 3 reading level across 278 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 4 and up can manage Chasing secrets on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Chasing secrets 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, physical peril — 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, Chasing secrets explores multicultural, friendship, family, and historical — 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 9-12 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 multicultural, friendship, family.

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

Moderate

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

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?