Crushed

Name: Crushed
Author: Sara Shepard
ISBN: 9780062199720

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Sara Shepard

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.

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About This Book

These four friends are the toughest high school seniors you’ll ever meet. They’ve faced secret messages and scary tricks, but now they’re on a mission to catch the mysterious A once and for all. Can they outsmart A before prom night turns into the biggest surprise ever?

Themes

FriendshipSchoolsSecrets

Quick Assessment

Four high school seniors in Rosewood stop hiding from an anonymous stalker and start hunting for them while their classmates prepare for prom. Expect sustained psychological threats, lies, betrayals, and suspenseful scenes of danger, though the content stays largely non-graphic. It suits readers who are comfortable with twisty, suspense-heavy mysteries and frightening threats from an unknown enemy.

Why we rated Crushed ME (Moderate)

Crushed is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 340 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 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.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, Crushed explores friendship, schools, 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, schools, secrets.

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.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?