Last Wishes

Name: Last Wishes
Author: V. E. Schwab
ISBN: 9780545528481

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by V. E. Schwab

Reading Level 4-5 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What would you do if your family was counting on you to win something big? Mikayla's dad just lost his job, and the pressure is on her to earn a dance scholarship. Can she find the strength to dance through the storm?

Themes

FriendshipDanceFamilyChildren's Fiction

Quick Assessment

Last Wishes follows Mikayla, a young girl facing family stress after her father loses his job. With the help of a guardian angel, she navigates the emotional challenges while pursuing a dance scholarship. Suitable for readers ages 9-12, the story gently explores themes of family pressure and friendship without intense conflict.

Why we rated Last Wishes LE (Mild)

Last Wishes is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 208 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Last Wishes on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Last Wishes as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, Last Wishes explores friendship, dance, family, and children's fiction — 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 friendship, dance, family.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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