Things too huge to fix by saying sorry

Name: Things too huge to fix by saying sorry
Author: Susan Vaught
ISBN: 9781481422796

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Susan Vaught

Reading Level 5-6 IS · Intense · Social Ages 9-12 Heads Up

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IS, means intense content, mostly social.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

Dani Beans is about to discover that her grandma, who can barely remember what day it is, once kept a dangerous secret at Ole Miss. A hidden key and envelope send Dani digging through the riots that shook Oxford, Mississippi, and into a history her own family never talked about. Some secrets refuse to stay buried, and Dani soon learns that the past can reach right into the present.

Themes

Friendship Family Mystery Historical Social Justice

Quick Assessment

When Dani's grandmother, living with Alzheimer's, asks her to find a hidden key and envelope, Dani and her friends investigate the riots surrounding the desegregation of Ole Miss and the racial tensions of Oxford, Mississippi. The story deals with racial violence and discrimination, a grandparent's memory loss, and a strained friendship, and it treats these subjects seriously without graphic detail. It suits readers who can handle historical conflict and family hardship, and it gives parents an opening to talk about how the past shapes the present.

Why we rated Things too huge to fix by saying sorry IS (Intense)

Things too huge to fix by saying sorry is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 342 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Things too huge to fix by saying sorry on their own.

We rate Things too huge to fix by saying sorry as IS (Intense, mostly social) 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, physical peril, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Racial violence during historical riots, Historical racial discrimination, Dementia and memory loss, Family secrets and conflict.

Thematically, Things too huge to fix by saying sorry explores friendship, family, mystery, historical, and social justice — 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.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, family, mystery.

Maybe not for

! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
! Children younger than 9 — 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.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.

For Parents

Content Intensity

IS · Intense · Social

Emotional

Moderate

Physical

Moderate

Social

Intense ←

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.