Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Run
Kody Keplinger
Run
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Kody Keplinger
The text is written at a 3rd 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
Bo's heart pounds as she whispers into the phone, begging for help in the dead of night. Suddenly, Agnes grabs the keys, and the car roars to life under the moonlight. But where are they really headed, and what dangers lie ahead?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Bo and Agnes, a legally blind teen whose strict parents have sheltered her from the world, steal the Atwoods' car and flee their town in the middle of the night. Their getaway involves police pursuit, a search for Bo's absent father, and uncovering family secrets, including a mother who often isn't sober. Parents should know about substance use, theft, and tense chase scenes, though the story centers on loyalty, friendship, and facing hard truths.
Why we rated Run LE (Mild)
Run is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 295 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 Run 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, Run explores friendship, runaway children, secrecy, best friends, and juvenile fiction — 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, runaway children, secrecy.
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
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780545831130
- Pages
- 295
- Publisher
- Scholastic, Incorporated
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction