Insomnia

Name: Insomnia
Author: J. R. Johansson
ISBN: 9780738735931

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by J. R. Johansson

Reading Level 3-4 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Parker Chipp doesn't just have trouble sleeping—he lives inside other people's dreams every night! When he meets Mia, whose dreams are unlike any he's ever seen, everything starts to change. But why can't Parker remember what really happens when they dream together?

Themes

Mental HealthFriendshipSchoolsSoccer

Quick Assessment

Parker, a high school junior, is exhausted after years of sleeplessness and begins entering other people's dreams, and his growing fixation on a new classmate pushes him toward increasingly reckless choices. The story deals with serious mental health strain, obsessive behavior, memory blackouts, and anonymous death threats against a character, so it suits mature teen readers who can talk through its darker moments. Parents may want to know it explores themes of self-doubt and moral uncertainty rather than offering easy answers.

Why we rated Insomnia ME (Moderate)

Insomnia is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 350 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate Insomnia as ME (Moderate, mostly 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, Insomnia explores mental health, friendship, schools, and soccer — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about mental health, friendship, schools.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

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

Data confidence: high

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