The boy next door

Name: The boy next door
Author: Katie Van Ark
ISBN: 9781250061461

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Katie Van Ark

Reading Level 3-4 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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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

Figure skating partners Maddy and Gabe have been close for years, but Maddy's growing feelings clash with Gabe's decision to treat her like a sister when their coach assigns a romantic routine. The story centers on romantic longing, flirting, competition pressure, and family tension, with romance as its main focus and no graphic content described. It's a good fit for readers who enjoy romance-driven stories, and parents may want to know it explores the emotional side of dating and relationship conflict.

Why we rated The boy next door LE (Mild)

The boy next door is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 347 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 next door as LE (Mild, mostly 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 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about love & romance, families, skating.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?