Kiss the morning star

Name: Kiss the morning star
Author: Elissa Janine Hoole
ISBN: 9780761462699

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Elissa Janine Hoole

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

This story proves that a road trip can change everything, especially when two girls discover the power of love in all its forms. They face loss and faith head-on, showing that even the hardest journeys can lead to the brightest stars. What happens when the road teaches you who you really are?

Themes

GriefVoyages and travelsLoveLGBTQ+ RepresentationSelf-realizationComing of Age

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows two teenage girls on a transformative road trip that explores themes of grief, faith, and self-discovery, including the experience of young lesbian love. It offers thoughtful insight into emotional growth suitable for ages 9-12, with sensitive handling of complex feelings and relationships. Parents should note the inclusion of LGBTQ+ themes and the exploration of loss and spirituality.

Why we rated Kiss the morning star ME (Moderate)

Kiss the morning star is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 256 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Kiss the morning star on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Kiss the morning star 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, 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, Kiss the morning star explores grief, voyages and travels, love, lgbtq+ representation, and self-realization — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about grief, voyages and travels, love.

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

Intense ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Moderate

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?