What reading level is Friends for life?

Friends for life by Andrew Norriss is at a Level 5-6 reading level (Lexile 880L). Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is Friends for life appropriate for?

Friends for life is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 10ME (Moderate — Emotional). Content flags: Suicide.

What genre is Friends for life?

Friends for life is fiction — Juvenile Fiction.

Does Friends for life have any content warnings?

Friends for life has a HootRating of 10ME (Moderate — Emotional). Content flags include: Suicide. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Friends for life?

Friends for life by Andrew Norriss is 234 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated July 16, 2026

Friends for life

Andrew Norriss

Friends for life

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Andrew Norriss

Reading Level 5-6 10ME Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

Buy on Amazon Listen on Audible

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

About This Book

Here's a secret: Francis loves fashion, even if it makes him stand out at school. Then he meets Jessica, a ghost who doesn’t remember how she died, and Andi, a tough girl with a surprising link to the fashion world. But that's only the beginning.

Themes

Friendship Coming of AgeGhost StoriesCostume DesignIdentity & Self-Discovery

Quick Assessment

Friends for Life is a middle-grade novel about Francis, a boy passionate about fashion who faces bullying but finds friendship with a spirited girl and a mysterious ghost. The story gently explores themes of identity, acceptance, and loss, including the sensitive topic of suicide. Suitable for ages 9-12, parents should be aware of these mature themes handled with care.

Why we rated Friends for life 10ME

Friends for life is written at a Level 5-6 reading level with a Lexile measure of 880L across 234 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 6.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Friends for life works for readers up to grade 7.5.

We rate Friends for life as 10ME ("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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Suicide.

Thematically, Friends for life explores friendship, coming of age, ghost stories, costume design, and identity & self-discovery — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 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, ghost stories.

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.