My future ex-girlfriend
Jake Gerhardt
My future ex-girlfriend
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
a novel
by Jake Gerhardt
The text is written at a 6th 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 getting your first crush wasn't the start of a fairy tale, but the beginning of a hilarious mess? Imagine navigating middle school drama, finals, and baseball championships while trying to figure out how to be a boyfriend. Can Sam, Duke, and Chollie survive the chaos without getting dumped before high school?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This humorous middle-grade novel follows three eighth-grade boys as they experience their first crushes and relationships while juggling school pressures and extracurriculars. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it gently explores themes of friendship, dating, and social challenges with lighthearted comedy and relatable situations. Parents should note the book addresses typical tween social dynamics without explicit content.
Why we rated My future ex-girlfriend 11LE
My future ex-girlfriend is written at a Level 6 reading level across 223 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, My future ex-girlfriend works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate My future ex-girlfriend as 11LE ("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, My future ex-girlfriend explores humor, friendship, coming of age, middle school, and dating — 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 humor, friendship, coming of age.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780451475411
- Pages
- 223
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction