Invisibly Breathing
Eileen Merriman
Invisibly Breathing
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Eileen Merriman
The text is written at a 6th 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
The quiet hum of the school hallway buzzes around Felix, but inside, his thoughts are a storm. Numbers feel safer to him—like magical shapes with secret powers—while people are confusing and tricky. Then Bailey, with his brave heart and stutter, steps into Felix’s world, and suddenly, the hardest thing isn’t being different, but learning to trust.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores themes of identity, bullying, and friendship through the story of Felix and Bailey, two boys navigating adolescence and their differences. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it sensitively handles issues related to homosexuality and self-acceptance in a school setting. Parents should be aware of themes involving bullying and emotional struggles but will find a heartfelt story about finding connection and courage.
Why we rated Invisibly Breathing 11ME
Invisibly Breathing is written at a Level 6 reading level across 288 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Invisibly Breathing works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Invisibly Breathing as 11ME ("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, Invisibly Breathing explores lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age, family, and bullying — 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 lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age.
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
11ME — 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
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
- 9780143772859
- Pages
- 288
- Publisher
- Penguin Books
- Published
- 2019
- Type
- Fiction