Dr Christian's Guide to Growing up Online (Hashtag: Awkward)
Christian Jessen
Dr Christian's Guide to Growing up Online (Hashtag: Awkward)
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Christian Jessen
The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Have you ever wondered what it's really like to grow up online? Imagine scrolling through a world full of tricky questions about your body, feelings, and friendships, all while trying to figure out who you are. But what happens when things get confusing or overwhelming?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Dr Christian's Guide to Growing Up Online is an accessible early reader that addresses a wide range of important topics such as health, puberty, anxiety, gender, sexuality, stress, and grief, presented in a social-media style format. Geared toward children ages 5 to 8, it offers gentle guidance on growing up in a digital world, making complex subjects approachable for young readers. Parents should note the inclusion of themes around identity and emotional challenges, handled with sensitivity for this age group.
Why we rated Dr Christian's Guide to Growing up Online (Hashtag: Awkward) 8ME
Dr Christian's Guide to Growing up Online (Hashtag: Awkward) is written at a Level 3 reading level across 96 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Dr Christian's Guide to Growing up Online (Hashtag: Awkward) works for readers up to grade 5.0.
We rate Dr Christian's Guide to Growing up Online (Hashtag: Awkward) as 8ME ("Moderate — 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, 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, Dr Christian's Guide to Growing up Online (Hashtag: Awkward) explores child development, friendship, identity & self-discovery, mental health, and social media — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about child development, friendship, identity & self-discovery.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
8ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781407186221
- Pages
- 96
- Publisher
- Scholastic
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction