Like water
Rebecca Podos
Like water
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Rebecca Podos
The text is written at a 7th 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
What happens when your whole world feels like it’s slipping away? Vanni’s dad is sick, and her future suddenly looks very different from what she imagined. Then she meets Leigh, who might just change everything—but can Vanni let herself hope?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores themes of identity, family illness, and first love through the story of Vanni, a girl caring for her father with Huntington's disease while navigating small-town life. It offers an honest portrayal of bisexuality and the challenges of adolescence, suitable for ages 9-12. Parents should be aware it deals with serious topics like chronic illness and emotional struggles but in a thoughtful and age-appropriate way.
Why we rated Like water 12IE
Like water is written at a Level 7 reading level across 312 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Like water works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Like water as 12IE ("Intense — 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, 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, Like water explores bisexuality, multicultural, family, coming of age, and friendship — 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 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 bisexuality, multicultural, family.
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
12IE — Intense — 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
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780062373373
- Pages
- 312
- Publisher
- Balzer + Bray
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction