How to breathe underwater
Vicky Skinner
How to breathe underwater
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Vicky Skinner
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
What if moving to a new place meant diving into a sea of new feelings? Imagine falling for someone who's already taken, while your world feels like it’s tipping underwater. Can Kate find a way to stay afloat when everything around her feels like it’s sinking?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This young adult novel follows Kate as she navigates the complexities of adolescence, including first love, family changes, and personal challenges. Suitable for ages 13-18, it explores themes like divorce and interpersonal relationships with emotional depth but no graphic content. Parents should note the focus on teenage emotional struggles and romantic tension.
Why we rated How to breathe underwater 12ME
How to breathe underwater is written at a Level 7 reading level across 324 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, How to breathe underwater works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate How to breathe underwater 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 — 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 to breathe underwater explores coming of age, family, romance, interpersonal relations, 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.
- ✓ 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, romance.
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
- 9781250137876
- Pages
- 324
- Publisher
- Swoon Reads
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction