Going Over

Name: Going Over
Author: Beth Kephart
ISBN: 9781452124575

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Beth Kephart

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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

Ada and Stefan live in a city split in two, where one wrong move could change everything. Ada's world is full of music and rebellion, while Stefan's is shadowed by walls and silence. When love dares to cross the divide, will Stefan risk everything to be free?

Themes

FamilyLoveHistorical Social Justice Coming of Age Adventure

Quick Assessment

Set in divided Berlin in 1983, the story follows a West Berlin girl and an East Berlin boy whose romance depends on a dangerous escape across the Wall. Expect tense scenes of peril, fear of discovery by authorities, and a light romance without sexual content. It offers a thoughtful way to open conversations about the Cold War, borders, sacrifice, and courage.

Why we rated Going Over ME (Moderate)

Going Over is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 264 pages. 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.

We rate Going Over 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, social complexity, 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, Going Over explores family, love, historical, social justice, and coming of age — 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.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, love, historical.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Moderate

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.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?