Hush
Jacqueline Woodson
Hush
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Jacqueline Woodson
The text is written at a 4th 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 had to leave everything you knew and become someone else just to keep your family safe? Imagine moving to a new city where no one knows your real name, and even your own family feels different. How do you find yourself when the world around you keeps changing?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Hush is a poignant middle-grade novel about Evie Thomas, a girl forced to change her identity and adapt to a new life after her family relocates. The story explores themes of identity, family dynamics, and coping with change, including the impact of depression and religion on the family. Suitable for ages 9-12, it thoughtfully addresses complex emotional and social issues in an accessible way.
Why we rated Hush 9IE
Hush is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 181 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Hush works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Hush as 9IE ("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, social complexity, 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, Hush explores coming of age, family, identity & self-discovery, religious themes, and multicultural — 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 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, identity & self-discovery.
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
9IE — 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
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780142415511
- Pages
- 181
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Fiction