Kendra

Name: Kendra
Author: Coe Booth
ISBN: 9780439925365

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Coe Booth

Reading Level 6 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched Rich Discussion

The text is written at a 6th 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

Kendra's mom became a teen mom at just fourteen, but she didn't let that stop her from chasing big dreams—even Princeton! Now it's Kendra's turn to figure out who she is, even when her world feels upside down with family drama and tricky friendships. Can she find her own path when everything around her is changing?

Themes

Mothers and DaughtersFamily Coming of Age Multicultural

Quick Assessment

Fourteen-year-old Kendra lives with her grandmother while her mother, Renee, who had her at fourteen, works toward a degree and then tries to take on a parenting role. The story follows strained mother-daughter relationships, family conflict, and Kendra getting into trouble with boys, with teen sexuality and relationships discussed directly. It suits mature teen readers who can handle frank talk about pregnancy, sex, and family breakdown.

Why we rated Kendra ME (Moderate)

Kendra is written at a Level 6 reading level across 292 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 Kendra 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, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Family Change, Bullying, Romantic Content.

Thematically, Kendra explores mothers and daughters, family, coming of age, 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 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Family book clubs, classroom read-alouds, and parents who want a strong conversation hook.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about mothers and daughters, family, 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.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Gentle

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.