Me being me is exactly as insane as you being you

Name: Me being me is exactly as insane as you being you
Author: Todd Hasak-Lowy
ISBN: 9781442495739

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Todd Hasak-Lowy

Reading Level 7-8 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 7th 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.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

What happens when everything you thought was normal suddenly changes? Darren’s parents split up, his brother heads off to college, and then his dad shares a big secret that shakes their family even more. How does Darren make sense of all these surprises while figuring out who he really is?

Themes

Family Coming of Age Identity & Self-Discovery LGBTQ+ RepresentationDivorce & Family Change

Quick Assessment

Told entirely in lists, the story follows fifteen-year-old Darren as his parents' divorce and his father's coming out upend his life, pushing him into an impulsive road trip to visit his older brother at college. Parents should know it deals with divorce, family upheaval, and a parent's coming out, handled with humor and heart, along with mild romantic crushes and rule-breaking like skipping school. The emotional weight is real, but the tone stays candid and reflective rather than graphic.

Why we rated Me being me is exactly as insane as you being you ME (Moderate)

Me being me is exactly as insane as you being you is written at a Level 7-8 reading level across 646 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 Me being me is exactly as insane as you being you 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 — 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, Me being me is exactly as insane as you being you explores family, coming of age, identity & self-discovery, lgbtq+ representation, and divorce & family change — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, coming of age, identity & self-discovery.

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

Mild

Thematic

Mild

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?