The wrong side of right
Jenn Marie Thorne
The wrong side of right
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Jenn Marie Thorne
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
What would you do if you suddenly met a father you never knew and found yourself in the middle of a presidential campaign? Sixteen-year-old Kate Quinn is swept into a world of politics, secret feelings, and tough choices. When her beliefs clash with the campaign, will she stand up for what’s right or follow the crowd?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows sixteen-year-old Kate Quinn as she navigates the challenges of meeting her unknown father and becoming involved in his presidential campaign. The story explores themes of family, love, and personal integrity, with some political content appropriate for readers ages 9-12. Parents should note the book deals with complex emotional decisions and first romantic experiences.
Why we rated The wrong side of right 12ME
The wrong side of right is written at a Level 7 reading level across 390 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The wrong side of right works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate The wrong side of right as 12ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, 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 moderate intensity score.
Thematically, The wrong side of right explores fathers and daughters, love, presidential candidates, practical politics, and elections — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about fathers and daughters, love, presidential candidates.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780803740570
- Pages
- 390
- Publisher
- Dial Books
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction