How it went down

Name: How it went down
Author: Kekla Magoon
ISBN: 9780805098693

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Kekla Magoon

Reading Level 3 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd 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

Tariq Johnson was just like any other teenager—until the day everything changed forever. His story is told from many different voices, each with their own truth. But whose story is the real one? That's what makes this book so important.

Themes

Race RelationsSocial Justice Family Friendship Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

This book explores a complex and sensitive issue through multiple perspectives following the shooting of a Black teenager by a white shooter. Parents should be aware that it deals with death and differing viewpoints on a serious event.

Why we rated How it went down ME (Moderate)

How it went down is written at a Level 3 reading level across 326 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 How it went down 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Death.

Thematically, How it went down explores race relations, social justice, family, friendship, 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 race relations, social justice, family.

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

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.