Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL
Siobhan Vivian
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Siobhan Vivian
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), 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
The buzz of the crowded hallway fills the air, lockers slamming and laughter echoing all around. Natalie, the confident student body president, usually knows exactly what to do — until a secret crush and a best friend's silence leave her heart racing and her world spinning. What happens when the girl who has it all together feels like she’s falling apart inside?
Themes
Quick Assessment
High school senior Natalie Sterling, a student body president hopeful, watches her carefully controlled life unravel when her best friend starts keeping secrets and she finds herself drawn to a boy she once dismissed. The story takes an honest look at reputation, judgment, and how teen girls are labeled by peers, including pressure around older boys and sexual rumors. Expect romantic attraction and frank discussion of sexual reputation, with situations that suit mature teen readers and are worth discussing together.
Why we rated NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL LE (Mild)
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 322 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 NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL 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, NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL explores friendship, coming of age, school & education, adolescence & coming of age, and social themes — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, school & education.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
LE · Mild · EmotionalReading 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.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780545169158
- Pages
- 322
- Publisher
- PUSH
- Published
- SEPTEMBER 1 2010
- Type
- Fiction