Everything you need to know when someone you know has been killed

Name: Everything you need to know when someone you know has been killed
Author: Jay Schleifer
ISBN: 0823927792

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jay Schleifer

Need to Know Library

Reading Level 6-7 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Balanced Read Page-Turner

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

Facing the loss of someone you care about can feel overwhelming, especially when that loss is sudden and tragic. This guide helps teens understand the complex emotions that come with grief and offers gentle advice for navigating the path toward healing and hope. It provides comforting insights to support young people during one of life’s hardest moments.

Themes

GriefComing of Age Family

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 6-7 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include loss & grief, fear & anxiety. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Everything you need to know when someone you know has been killed ME (Moderate)

Everything you need to know when someone you know has been killed is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 64 pages (approximately 7,580 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, Everything you need to know when someone you know has been killed takes about 51 minutes, which fits within a single read-aloud session.

We rate Everything you need to know when someone you know has been killed 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: Loss & Grief, Fear & Anxiety.

Thematically, Everything you need to know when someone you know has been killed explores grief, coming of age, and family — 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 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about grief, coming of age, family.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 6 more books in the Need to Know Library series.
✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.

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.