Storytellers

Name: Storytellers
Author: Laurisa White Reyes
ISBN: 9781947394018

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Laurisa White Reyes

Reading Level 6 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched Rich Discussion

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

Elena Barrios has a secret that could change everything: her dad is very sick, but she tells everyone he's a famous writer. When Elena meets Ang, a wise woman with stories about courage and history, Elena discovers the power of truth and bravery. What will happen when Elena finally faces her fears and stands up for what matters?

Themes

Family Historical Friendship Coming of Age Social Justice

Quick Assessment

Set in 1992, this middle-grade novel explores themes of illness, stigma, and family through the eyes of 12-year-old Elena, whose father has AIDS. The story sensitively addresses the challenges of dealing with a parent's terminal illness, bullying, and racial history, offering opportunities for meaningful conversations about empathy and resilience. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it includes mature themes handled thoughtfully but may require parental guidance for younger or sensitive readers.

Why we rated Storytellers ME (Moderate)

Storytellers is written at a Level 6 reading level across 234 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Storytellers on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Storytellers 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: Illness & Injury, Bullying.

Thematically, Storytellers explores family, historical, friendship, coming of age, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Family book clubs, classroom read-alouds, and parents who want a strong conversation hook.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, historical, 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

Gentle

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.