Positively
Courtney Sheinmel
Positively
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Courtney Sheinmel
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
What happens when your world feels shattered, and hope seems out of reach? Thirteen-year-old Emmy is struggling with the loss of her mother to a serious illness and the changes in her family. Can a special summer camp for girls like her help Emmy find a new path forward?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows 13-year-old Emmy as she copes with the death of her mother from AIDS and adjusts to life with her father and pregnant stepmother. The story sensitively explores themes of grief, illness, and belonging, providing factual information about HIV along the way. Suitable for ages 9-12, it offers a hopeful perspective while addressing serious topics in an age-appropriate manner.
Why we rated Positively 11IE
Positively is written at a Level 6 reading level across 224 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Positively works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Positively as 11IE ("Intense — 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Grief, Serious Illness.
Thematically, Positively explores family, grief, illness, friendship, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, grief, illness.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11IE — Intense — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781416971696
- Pages
- 224
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2009
- Type
- Fiction