The boy most likely to

Name: The boy most likely to
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
ISBN: 9780803741423

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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

The sharp scent of gasoline fills the air as Tim's car skids out of control, crashing into a quiet house. Tim was always the boy who made the wildest choices, and Alice never thought she'd get mixed up with him—especially not like this. But when their worlds collide, the line between fear and friendship blurs into something neither expected.

Themes

Friendship Coming of Age Family Romance Social Justice

Quick Assessment

Tim Mason and Alice Garrett are teens who know falling for each other is a bad idea, yet they can't stop, and the story follows the romance from both of their points of view. Expect teen drinking and drug references, including a liquor cabinet, a liver transplant, and a reckless car crash in Tim's past, along with romantic tension and some emotional weight around family and loss. The book is best suited to older teen readers who can handle those topics and the tone of a mature YA romance.

Why we rated The boy most likely to ME (Moderate)

The boy most likely to is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 425 pages. 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.

We rate The boy most likely to 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Substance Use.

Thematically, The boy most likely to explores friendship, coming of age, family, romance, 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 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 friendship, coming of age, family.

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

Moderate

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.