Facing Up
Robin F. Brancato
Facing Up
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Robin F. Brancato
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes.
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About This Book
Dave makes a choice that changes everything — he gets involved with his best friend's girl, and suddenly nothing feels the same. Guilt crashes in hard when an accident takes his friend away, leaving Dave to face the hardest truth. How do you live with a secret that could break you?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Facing Up explores the complex emotions of guilt and friendship as a teenage boy deals with the consequences of a tragic accident involving his best friend. Suitable for ages 13-18, this young adult novel thoughtfully addresses themes of responsibility, grief, and moral challenges in a high school setting. Parents should be aware of the emotional intensity related to loss and remorse.
Why we rated Facing Up 11IE
Facing Up is written at a Level 6 reading level across 228 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Facing Up works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Facing Up as 11IE ("Intense — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. 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 intense intensity score.
Thematically, Facing Up explores friendship, coming of age, family, high school, and moral complexity — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 13+ — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11IE — Intense — EmotionalHeavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780590423274
- Pages
- 228
- Publisher
- Scholastic
- Published
- August 1988
- Type
- Fiction