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Hush, Hush

Becca Fitzpatrick

Cover of Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Becca Fitzpatrick

Reading Level 8 12ME Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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

Have you ever felt like someone was watching your every move—someone who knows your deepest secrets? Nora Grey never expected to be drawn to Patch, a mysterious boy with a dark past and a smile that hides danger. But when scary things start happening around her, can she trust Patch, or is he the biggest threat of all?

Themes

Quick Assessment

Hush, Hush is a middle-grade supernatural romance centered on Nora Grey, a girl caught between normal school life and a hidden world of fallen angels. The story explores themes of friendship, trust, and forbidden love, with some suspenseful and slightly dark moments suitable for ages 9-12. Parents should be aware of romantic elements and mild peril as Nora navigates an ancient conflict that could threaten her life.

Why we rated Hush, Hush 12ME

Hush, Hush is written at a Level 8 reading level across 400 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Hush, Hush works for readers up to grade 10.0.

We rate Hush, Hush 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, Hush, Hush explores supernatural, angels, romance, friendship, and coming of age — 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.
  • Kids drawn to stories about supernatural, angels, 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 — Emotional
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Light
Social
Light
Thematic
Moderate

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

1/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

3/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
7
Emotional Weight
6
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

400 pages
ISBN
9781847389169
Pages
400
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published
2009
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

SupernaturalAngelsDatingFriendshipSchools