Things I'm seeing without you
Peter Bognanni
Things I'm seeing without you
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Peter Bognanni
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 happens when everything you thought you knew about someone you love turns upside down? Tess moves in with her dad, who works with funerals, and starts to see life and people in a whole new way. But can she find out the truth about the boy she thought she loved before it's too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores themes of grief, family bonds, and self-discovery as Tess copes with a tragic event by moving in with her father, a funeral director. The story sensitively handles complex emotions around loss and growing up, suitable for readers aged 9-12. Parents should note the book deals with death and funeral rites but balances these with humor and hope.
Why we rated Things I'm seeing without you 12IE
Things I'm seeing without you is written at a Level 7 reading level across 330 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Things I'm seeing without you works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Things I'm seeing without you as 12IE ("Intense — 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, Things I'm seeing without you explores fathers and daughters, grief, funeral rites and ceremonies, coming of age, and family — 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, grief, funeral rites and ceremonies.
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
12IE — Intense — 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
- 9780735228047
- Pages
- 330
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction