Making Room for Nona
Julia Jay Pierrepont
Making Room for Nona
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
For Kids Coping with Covid
by Julia Jay Pierrepont
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
What if a new family member suddenly moves in just when everything feels upside down? Imagine sharing your small apartment with someone you barely know, while the world outside feels locked away. How can love grow in tight spaces when loss and change are all around?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction gently explores themes of family, loss, and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows Anya, a young girl who must adjust to having her grandmother move into their crowded home, helping children understand grief and the importance of love in difficult times. Suitable for ages 9 to 12, the story offers a compassionate approach to coping with pandemic-related changes and loss.
Why we rated Making Room for Nona 10LE
Making Room for Nona is written at a Level 5 reading level. Strong independent readers around grade 6.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Making Room for Nona works for readers up to grade 7.0.
We rate Making Room for Nona as 10LE ("Light — 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, Making Room for Nona explores family, health, coming of age, and loss & grief — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, health, coming of age.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
10LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
- ISBN
- 9781737030423
- Publisher
- Pierrepont Publishing
- Published
- 2021
- Type
- Fiction