Glass
Ellen Hopkins
Glass
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Ellen Hopkins
The text is written at a 8th 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
Some monsters aren't under your bed—they live inside you. Kristina fights a powerful addiction that threatens to take everything she loves, including her baby. Can she ever break free from the grip of something that feels like both curse and lifeline?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Glass is a young adult novel told in verse that explores the harrowing journey of a teenage girl struggling with methamphetamine addiction while caring for her baby. The story realistically portrays the challenges of substance abuse, relapse, and the emotional toll on family relationships. Suitable for readers aged 13 and up, it includes mature themes that may require parental guidance.
Why we rated Glass 12IE
Glass is written at a Level 8 reading level across 688 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Glass works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate Glass as 12IE ("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, physical peril, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Substance Abuse, Addiction, Relapse, Child Endangerment.
Thematically, Glass explores family, substance use, addiction, coming of age, and parenting — 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 family, substance use, addiction.
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
12IE — Intense — EmotionalHeavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
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
- 9781416940906
- Pages
- 688
- Publisher
- Margaret K. McElderry Books
- Published
- 2007 August 21
- Type
- Fiction