Here Goes Nothing
Steve Toltz
Here Goes Nothing
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Steve Toltz
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.
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About This Book
Angus, expecting his first child, faces an unexpected death that propels him into a mysterious afterlife filled with unanswered questions. As a pandemic spreads across Australia, the afterlife becomes crowded, leading Angus to find ways to reconnect with his wife and confront his past. This imaginative and darkly humorous tale explores themes of love, mortality, and what lies beyond life.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 4-5 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include death, mortality, pandemic. Written for readers ages 13+.
Why we rated Here Goes Nothing 9MP
Here Goes Nothing is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 385 pages (approximately 65,252 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.9 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Here Goes Nothing works for readers up to grade 6.9.
Read aloud, Here Goes Nothing runs about 7.3 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Here Goes Nothing as 9MP ("Moderate — Physical") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Death, Mortality, Pandemic, Afterlife, Revenge.
Thematically, Here Goes Nothing explores love, family, mortality, afterlife, and humor — 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.
- ✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about love, family, mortality.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there is one more book in the Lerner High School series.
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
9MP — Moderate — PhysicalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
5/10Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
More in the Lerner High School Series
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9798765630129
- Pages
- 385
- Publisher
- Melville House
- Published
- 2022-05-03
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 65,252
- Read-Aloud
- ~7h 15m
- Text Density
- Standard