The last to let go

Name: The last to let go
Author: Amber Smith
ISBN: 9781481480734

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Amber Smith

Reading Level 4-5 IE · Intense · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IE, means intense content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Brooke’s world turns upside down when her mom is arrested for something no one fully understands. Suddenly, she and her siblings have to face a year of firsts—first love, first heartbreak, and a new kind of freedom. But how do you let go of a family secret that’s never really been yours?

Themes

Family Coming of Age Identity & Self-DiscoverySibling RelationshipsJuvenile Fiction

Quick Assessment

Brooke and her siblings are left to fend for themselves after their mother is arrested for killing their abusive father, and the facts of that day remain unclear. The story deals with family violence, past abuse, grief, first love, and questions of identity and sexual orientation, with mature content about the events leading up to the death. Parents may want to talk through the moral gray areas and the emotional weight of the family's history before handing it over.

Why we rated The last to let go IE (Intense)

The last to let go is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 369 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 last to let go as IE (Intense, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Family Violence, Murder, Sexual Orientation.

Thematically, The last to let go explores family, coming of age, identity & self-discovery, sibling relationships, and juvenile fiction — 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 family, coming of age, identity & self-discovery.

Maybe not for

! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
! Children younger than 13 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.

For Parents

Content Intensity

IE · Intense · Emotional

Emotional

Intense ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Moderate

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

Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.