How Not to Disappear
Clare Furniss
How Not to Disappear
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Clare Furniss
The text is written at a 8th 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
What if you found out you were pregnant and the world around you was changing faster than you could keep up? Imagine setting off on a road trip with your quirky great-aunt who loves her gin slings and is starting to forget things. Together, they face secrets and tough choices that could change everything.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Hattie, a young girl grappling with unexpected pregnancy and family upheaval, who embarks on a poignant road trip with her great-aunt Gloria, who is living with early dementia. The story explores themes of memory, identity, and difficult life decisions in a sensitive way appropriate for ages 9-12. Parents should note the book deals with mature topics such as teenage pregnancy and dementia but handles them with care and emotional depth.
Why we rated How Not to Disappear 12ME
How Not to Disappear is written at a Level 8 reading level across 448 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, How Not to Disappear works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate How Not to Disappear 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, thematic difficulty — 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, How Not to Disappear explores coming of age, family, road trip, memory, and 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 coming of age, family, road trip.
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
1/10A 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
- 9781481421041
- Pages
- 448
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction