The Exo Project

Name: The Exo Project
Author: Andrew DeYoung
ISBN: 9781629796109

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Andrew DeYoung

Reading Level 4-5 LT · Mild · Thematic Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LT, means mild content, mostly thematic.

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About This Book

Matthew thought he was on a one-way trip to a lonely, lifeless planet, but then he meets Kiva, a fierce girl from a world unlike anything he's ever imagined. Their worlds collide in a battle between saving Earth and protecting Gle'ah’s secrets. What will happen when two very different futures hang in the balance?

Themes

Adventure Science & Nature Friendship Family Fantasy World-Building Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

Matthew agrees to join a government mission to find a habitable planet for humanity after his family's money troubles and his mother's illness leave him desperate. His landing on Gle'ah draws him into a matriarchal society whose survival depends on his silence, and the story explores loyalty, deception, and consequences through multiple viewpoints. Expect a sick parent, peril, and a developing romance between teens that stays emotional rather than explicit, which makes it a good fit for thoughtful discussion.

Why we rated The Exo Project LT (Mild)

The Exo Project is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 447 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 Exo Project as LT (Mild, mostly thematic) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. The strongest signals come from thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

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

Thematically, The Exo Project explores adventure, science & nature, friendship, family, and fantasy world-building — 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 adventure, science & nature, friendship.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LT · Mild · Thematic

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Mild

Social

Mild

Thematic

Moderate ←

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?