Things I should have known

Name: Things I should have known
Author: Claire Scovell LaZebnik
ISBN: 9780544829695

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Claire Scovell LaZebnik

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

The buzz of the busy city mixes with the soft laughter of two sisters sharing secrets. One sister is finding her way through the noisy world, while the other watches with hope and heart. Sometimes, love is about understanding what’s left unspoken.

Themes

SistersAutismFriendship FamilySocial CustomsJuvenile Fiction

Quick Assessment

Chloe Mitchell, a popular Los Angeles teen, decides her autistic older sister Ivy needs a boyfriend and sets her up with a classmate from Ivy's special needs class. The story follows a group of friends on frozen yogurt dates and movie nights as Chloe confronts her own romantic choices, with light romantic content and no explicit material. Parents should know it portrays autism and sibling relationships warmly and honestly, with some family frustration along the way.

Why we rated Things I should have known LE (Mild)

Things I should have known is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 314 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 Things I should have known 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, Things I should have known explores sisters, autism, friendship, family, and social customs — 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 sisters, autism, friendship.

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

Mild

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?