Screwed
Laurie Plissner
Screwed
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Laurie Plissner
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes.
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About This Book
What would you do if the person you liked the most suddenly disappeared when you needed them the most? Grace, the smartest girl in school and math team captain, faces a huge surprise that changes everything. Can she find her way when everything she believed about love and family is turned upside down?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Grace, a 17-year-old dealing with an unexpected pregnancy and complicated relationships with family and friends. The story explores themes of teenage pregnancy, moral dilemmas, and family pressures, offering an honest look at difficult choices faced by young people. Parents should note the mature subject matter and emotional challenges presented, making it suitable for older middle-grade readers.
Why we rated Screwed 12IE
Screwed is written at a Level 7 reading level across 300 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Screwed works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Screwed as 12IE ("Intense — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. 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: Teenage Pregnancy, Moral Dilemmas.
Thematically, Screwed explores coming of age, family, love, and juvenile fiction — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about coming of age, family, love.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 9-12 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12IE — Intense — EmotionalHeavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781440557101
- Pages
- 300
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction