Skies like these

Name: Skies like these
Author: Tess Hilmo
ISBN: 9780374369989

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Tess Hilmo

Reading Level 4-5 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

Have you ever met someone who believes they’re connected to a real-life outlaw? Jade visits her quirky aunt in wide-open Wyoming, where the sky stretches as far as the eye can see—and she meets a boy with a wild story about his family. What secrets could be hiding beneath those endless skies?

Themes

Friendship FamilyEccentrics and eccentricitiesJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows twelve-year-old Jade as she spends time with her eccentric aunt in Wyoming and forms a unique friendship with a boy who claims to be a descendant of Butch Cassidy. The story gently explores themes of friendship, identity, and family quirks suitable for readers ages 9 to 12. There is no intense content, making it an appropriate and engaging read for this age group.

Why we rated Skies like these C (Gentle)

Skies like these is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 231 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Skies like these on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Skies like these as C (Gentle) because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.

Thematically, Skies like these explores friendship, family, eccentrics and eccentricities, 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, family, eccentrics and eccentricities.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

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

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: high

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