Out of control

Name: Out of control
Author: Sarah Alderson
ISBN: 9781481427166

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Sarah Alderson

Reading Level 5-6 IP · Intense · Physical Ages 9-12 Heads Up

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 intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IP, means intense content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

What do you do when the only person who saw a murder is the one person the killers want silenced? Seventeen-year-old Liva is supposed to be safe in police custody, but when bullets tear through the station, she and a charming car thief named Jay are sprinting through New York with killers hot on their trail. Can two strangers outwit people who will stop at nothing, or will the city swallow them whole?

Themes

Adventure Mystery Coming of Age Romance

Quick Assessment

After witnessing a murder, seventeen-year-old Liva escapes an attack on her police protective custody and teams up with a car thief to evade killers across New York City. Expect gunfire, a violent station attack, a brutal killing described early on, and peril that builds throughout. Romantic tension and flirting appear, but nothing explicit, and the fast-paced thriller suits readers comfortable with sustained suspense.

Why we rated Out of control IP (Intense)

Out of control is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 302 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Out of control on their own.

We rate Out of control as IP (Intense, mostly physical) because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Murder, Gunfire and shootouts, Violent police station attack, Physical danger and chase peril, Fear and trauma from past.

Thematically, Out of control explores adventure, mystery, coming of age, and romance — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, mystery, coming of age.

Maybe not for

! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
! Children younger than 9 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.

For Parents

Content Intensity

IP · Intense · Physical

Emotional

Moderate

Physical

Intense ←

Social

Mild

Thematic

Moderate

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

Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.