Taking Sides
Patrick Jones
Taking Sides
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Patrick Jones
The text is written at a 4th 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.
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About This Book
What really happened the night their mother died? Todd and Tina saw the same terrible event—but their stories don’t match. Now, with their father on the run and separated in foster care, Todd must discover the truth before everything falls apart.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Taking Sides is a middle-grade novel exploring the complex perspectives of two siblings after a tragic family event. It addresses themes of family conflict, differing memories, and the struggle to uncover truth in difficult circumstances. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it contains emotional content around family loss and legal issues but is handled thoughtfully.
Why we rated Taking Sides 9ME
Taking Sides is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 104 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Taking Sides works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Taking Sides 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, thematic difficulty — 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, Taking Sides explores family, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons.
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
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781512460940
- Pages
- 104
- Publisher
- Millbrook Press
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction