Rules of Attraction

Name: Rules of Attraction
Author: SImone Elkeles
ISBN: 9781619637023

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by SImone Elkeles

Reading Level 3-4 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd 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.

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About This Book

This book shows that even in tough neighborhoods, kids can find friendship and face big challenges together. It’s not just a love story—it’s about courage and making the right choices when the world gets complicated. Understanding these rules could change everything for them.

Themes

Multicultural FriendshipSchoolsComing of Age

Quick Assessment

Carlos, a teen from a Mexican-American family, is sent to live with his brother's college professor in the Colorado suburbs and struggles to leave his gang ties behind. The story explores loyalty, family pressure, and a slow-building romance with the professor's daughter, with gang activity and drug use appearing as part of Carlos's past and present. Romantic content is limited to emotional attraction and kissing, so it suits mature teen readers, and parents may want to talk through the choices about gangs and drugs.

Why we rated Rules of Attraction ME (Moderate)

Rules of Attraction is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 352 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 Rules of Attraction 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, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Drugs.

Thematically, Rules of Attraction explores multicultural, friendship, schools, and coming of age — 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 multicultural, friendship, schools.

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

Moderate

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.