Tell me

Name: Tell me
Author: Joan Bauer
ISBN: 9780451470331

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Joan Bauer

Reading Level 3 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd 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.

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About This Book

There’s a secret that Anna’s been carrying all summer—something about a girl who might not be free. When her own family feels like it’s falling apart, she decides to step in and change everything. But that’s only the beginning.

Themes

Fathers and DaughtersRescuesParentsFear

Quick Assessment

This book follows twelve-year-old Anna, who struggles with her parents' separation and her father's anger. During a summer stay with her grandmother, she notices a troubling situation involving another girl and decides to take action.

Why we rated Tell me ME (Moderate)

Tell me is written at a Level 3 reading level across 259 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 4 and up can manage Tell me on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Tell me 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Fear, Family Change.

Thematically, Tell me explores fathers and daughters, rescues, parents, and fear — 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 fathers and daughters, rescues, parents.

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

Moderate ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

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.