How to love
Katie Cotugno
How to love
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
a novel
by Katie Cotugno
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
Love can be messy and surprising, and Reena knows that better than anyone. She’s fallen for Sawyer LeGrande not once, but twice—each time bringing new challenges and heartaches. What happens when the boy who disappeared suddenly comes back, stirring up feelings she thought were gone?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores themes of young love, family, and resilience through the story of Reena, a young mother navigating complex emotions after her boyfriend disappears and then returns. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it deals sensitively with topics like teenage pregnancy and relationship challenges, making it a thoughtful choice for readers ready to explore deeper emotional themes.
Why we rated How to love 12IE
How to love is written at a Level 7 reading level across 389 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, How to love works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate How to love as 12IE ("Intense — 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 to love explores family, coming of age, romance, young parenthood, and friendship — 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 family, coming of age, 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
12IE — Intense — 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
- 9780062295958
- Pages
- 389
- Publisher
- Balzer + Bray
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction