Crushed

Name: Crushed
Author: Sara Shepard
ISBN: 9780062199713

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liars

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible Find on Bookshop.org

We may earn a commission from these links. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores with every purchase.

About This Book

High school seniors Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer are on a relentless quest to uncover the identity of the mysterious tormentor known as A. As prom night approaches in their small town, the friends face new clues and daunting challenges that test their courage and loyalty. Every step forward reveals deeper secrets, keeping the girls on edge and pushing them to their limits.

Themes

FriendshipHigh schoolsSecretsConduct of life

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4-5 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include fear & anxiety, bullying, secrets. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Crushed ME (Moderate)

Crushed is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 340 pages (approximately 76,363 words). 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.

Read aloud, Crushed runs about 8.5 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Crushed 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Fear & Anxiety, Bullying, Secrets.

Thematically, Crushed explores friendship, high schools, secrets, and conduct of life — 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 who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, high schools, secrets.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 13 more books in the Pretty Little Liars series.

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

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

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.