Season for Goodbye (One Last Wish)
Lurlene McDaniel
Season for Goodbye (One Last Wish)
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Lurlene McDaniel
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
The crisp breeze carries the scent of autumn leaves as Katie, Chelsea, and Lacey face a world that feels colder than before. Their laughter from last summer at Jenny House echoes faintly in their hearts, mingling with the quiet ache of change. What will it take for them to hold onto hope when everything feels different?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This young adult novel explores the emotional journey of three friends who spent a life-changing summer together at Jenny House, a place for terminally ill teens. A year later, they navigate the challenges of returning to everyday life while coping with loss and change. Appropriate for teens aged 13-18, the story sensitively handles themes of illness, friendship, and grief.
Why we rated Season for Goodbye (One Last Wish) 9ME
Season for Goodbye (One Last Wish) is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 192 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Season for Goodbye (One Last Wish) works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Season for Goodbye (One Last Wish) as 9ME ("Moderate — 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Season for Goodbye (One Last Wish) explores friendship, terminal illness, coming of age, and grief — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, terminal illness, coming of age.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" 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
- 9780785751496
- Pages
- 192
- Publisher
- Turtleback Books
- Published
- October 1999
- Type
- Fiction