The sound of silence

Name: The sound of silence
Author: Katrina Goldsaito
ISBN: 9780316203371

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Katrina Goldsaito

Reading Level 4-5 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

Yoshio stands in the middle of a noisy Tokyo street—cars beep, trains roar, and people chatter all around him. But he's searching for something different: the sound of silence. Can silence really be found in a city that never stops buzzing?

Themes

SoundSilenceFictionFamily Adventure

Quick Assessment

This gentle fiction story follows Yoshio, a young boy living in bustling Tokyo, as he seeks to discover the sound of silence amidst city noise. Suitable for middle-grade readers, the book explores themes of sound and quiet in an accessible way, encouraging mindfulness and appreciation of different environments without any intense content.

Why we rated The sound of silence C (Gentle)

The sound of silence is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 36 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage The sound of silence on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The sound of silence as C (Gentle) because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

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

Thematically, The sound of silence explores sound, silence, fiction, family, and adventure — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about sound, silence, fiction.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Gentle

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

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: high

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