Hit count

Name: Hit count
Author: Chris Lynch
ISBN: 9781616202507

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Chris Lynch

Reading Level 5-6 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 5th 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

The sharp crack of helmets colliding echoes like thunder across the field, the air thick with the smell of fresh grass and sweat. Arlo Brodie feels alive in every bone-crushing hit, racing toward glory as his teammates roar and the crowd's cheers swell. But beneath the rush, a quiet worry lingers — how far can you push when every hit leaves its mark?

Themes

Sports InjuriesFriendship Family Coming of Age Sports

Quick Assessment

Arlo is a teen football player who craves the hardest hits and the glory that comes with them, even as his mother warns about head injuries and his girlfriend ends their relationship over his reckless play. The story shows repeated concussion symptoms like pain, dizziness, and confusion, which he dismisses, so it can open real conversations about sports safety. Expect intense tackling scenes and emotional family and romantic conflict, with no graphic content.

Why we rated Hit count ME (Moderate)

Hit count is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 362 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 Hit count 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, physical peril — 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, Hit count explores sports injuries, friendship, family, coming of age, and sports — 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 ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports injuries, friendship, family.

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

Moderate

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

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?