Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Hey, kiddo
Jarrett Krosoczka
The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IS, means intense content, mostly social.
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About This Book
What if your family looked nothing like the perfect picture? Imagine living with a mom who’s struggling, a dad who’s nowhere to be found, and grandparents who do their best to hold everything together. How do you find your own way when the world feels upside down?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Jarrett Krosoczka's graphic memoir traces a childhood spent with his grandparents while his mother struggles with addiction and his father remains unknown. Parents should know it portrays drug use, repeated rehab stays, and the emotional toll of instability and an absent parent with honesty, though it balances these with humor, love, and the protective power of drawing. It is a thoughtful choice for conversations about family crisis and resilience.
Why we rated Hey, kiddo IS (Intense)
Hey, kiddo is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 294 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 Hey, kiddo as IS (Intense, mostly social) because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Substance Use, Family Issues.
Thematically, Hey, kiddo explores family, coming of age, graphic novels, dysfunctional families, and children of drug addicts — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, coming of age, graphic novels.
- ✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — Hey, kiddo carries 18 awards.
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.
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic reading-level-vs-content mismatch.
For Parents
Content Intensity
IS · Intense · SocialReading 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
Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780545902472
- Pages
- 294
- Publisher
- Graphix
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction