What reading level is The boy next door?

The boy next door by Katie Van Ark is at a Level 3-4 reading level (Lexile 640L). Recommended for Lower Grades readers (Ages 5-8).

What age is The boy next door appropriate for?

The boy next door is recommended for Ages 5-8. HootRating: 8LE (Light — Emotional).

What genre is The boy next door?

The boy next door is fiction — Juvenile Fiction.

Does The boy next door have any content warnings?

The boy next door has a HootRating of 8LE (Light — Emotional). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is The boy next door?

The boy next door by Katie Van Ark is 347 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated September 7, 2026

The boy next door

Katie Van Ark

The boy next door

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Katie Van Ark

Reading Level 3-4 8LE Ages 5-8 Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.

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About This Book

This isn't just any skating story—it's about a girl who discovers that the boy next door can also skate right into her heart. When they glide together on the ice, sparks fly in ways that change everything. It shows how sometimes the biggest surprises come from the people closest to you.

Themes

Love & RomanceFamiliesSkatingJuvenile FictionIce Skating

Quick Assessment

This early chapter book explores young love and friendship through the story of a girl and her skating partner, who also happens to be her neighbor. Suitable for ages 5-8, it gently introduces themes of family and budding romance within a wholesome setting centered on ice skating. The content is age-appropriate with no intense themes, making it a sweet read for early readers interested in sports and relationships.

Why we rated The boy next door 8LE

The boy next door is written at a Level 3-4 reading level with a Lexile measure of 640L across 347 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The boy next door works for readers up to grade 5.5.

We rate The boy next door as 8LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, The boy next door explores love & romance, families, skating, juvenile fiction, and ice skating — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about love & romance, families, skating.