Home and away
Candice Montgomery
Home and away
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Candice Montgomery
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Tasia Quirk is not just any high school senior—she’s the only girl on her private school's football team and totally unstoppable. But when she discovers a secret her mom’s been hiding, everything she thought she knew about her family and herself is turned upside down. Can Tasia uncover the truth before it changes her world forever?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Tasia, a confident Black teenage girl and football player at a private school, as she confronts family secrets that challenge her understanding of identity and belonging. The story explores themes of racial identity, family dynamics, and self-discovery, with nuanced portrayals of friendship and sexuality suitable for readers ages 9-12. Parents should note the inclusion of a bisexual character and complex emotional content related to family and identity.
Why we rated Home and away 12ME
Home and away is written at a Level 7 reading level across 377 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Home and away works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Home and away as 12ME ("Moderate — 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 — 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, Home and away explores multicultural, friendship, family, sports, and identity & self-discovery — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about multicultural, 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.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781624145957
- Pages
- 377
- Publisher
- Page Street YA
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction