The Beginning of Everything

Name: The Beginning of Everything
Author: Robyn Schneider
ISBN: 9780062217134

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Robyn Schneider

Reading Level 6-7 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), 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

Ezra Faulkner’s perfect high school world is turned upside down after a life-changing accident, just as Cassidy Thorpe, a quirky and mysterious newcomer, appears. Together, they navigate unexpected challenges and discover new possibilities beyond the ordinary. Their journey reveals how resilience and friendship can reshape the future.

Themes

Coming of Age Friendship Family Romance

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 6-7 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include loss & grief, identity & self-discovery, fear & anxiety. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated The Beginning of Everything ME (Moderate)

The Beginning of Everything is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 352 pages (approximately 72,937 words). Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

Read aloud, The Beginning of Everything runs about 8.1 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate The Beginning of Everything 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: Loss & Grief, Identity & Self-Discovery, Fear & Anxiety.

Thematically, The Beginning of Everything explores coming of age, friendship, family, and romance — 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 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about coming of age, friendship, family.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.