Saint Anything

Name: Saint Anything
Author: Sarah Dessen
ISBN: 9780451474704

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

a novel

by Sarah Dessen

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

Some siblings shine so bright, they make everyone else feel invisible. Sydney's brother Peyton steals the spotlight — but when his choices land him in trouble, Sydney has to find her own way. What happens when the family you know isn't enough, and a new one shows you what love really means?

Themes

Brothers and SistersFamily Friendship Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

After her charismatic older brother Peyton is sent to jail for a drunk-driving crash that seriously injured a boy, teen Sydney struggles with feeling invisible in her family and finds acceptance with the warm, chaotic Chatham household. The story explores grief, family strain, friendship, and first love, with alcohol-related harm, a serious injury, and a parent figure's illness discussed in emotional detail but never graphically shown. Parents may want to talk through the consequences of impaired driving and the story's emotional weight, which is handled with honesty and hope.

Why we rated Saint Anything ME (Moderate)

Saint Anything is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 417 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 Saint Anything 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Drunk Driving.

Thematically, Saint Anything explores brothers and sisters, family, 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 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 brothers and sisters, family, friendship.

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

Intense ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Moderate

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.