#scandal

Name: #scandal
Author: Sarah Ockler
ISBN: 9781481401241

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Sarah Ockler

Reading Level 5-6 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 5th 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

The buzz of notifications fills the air as Lucy’s phone lights up nonstop. Suddenly, everyone’s talking about the pictures—pictures of her kissing her best friend’s boyfriend. The whispers swirl around the school, and Lucy has to figure out how to face the storm of rumors and feelings.

Themes

FriendshipLoveSocial MediaFamily Coming of Age Humor

Quick Assessment

When a kiss at a prom after-party leads to compromising photos going viral, a high school senior is branded a backstabber and worse just weeks before graduation. The story centers on online humiliation, cyberbullying, and a crush that strains a best friendship, with romantic and kissing content and references to party indiscretions. Parents may want to talk with teens about how quickly harmful posts spread and how to protect their own online reputation.

Why we rated #scandal LE (Mild)

#scandal is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 401 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 #scandal 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, #scandal explores friendship, love, social media, family, 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, love, social media.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

Thematic

Gentle

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?