This is our story

Name: This is our story
Author: Ashley Elston
ISBN: 9781484730898

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Ashley Elston

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What really happened on that foggy morning at River Point? Five boys went hunting, but only four came back—and no one will say who fired the fatal shot. As secrets start to surface, the truth feels more dangerous than anyone expected.

Themes

Friendship Coming of Age Family Mystery Social JusticeHigh School

Quick Assessment

This young adult novel follows Kate Marino, a high school senior interning at a District Attorney's office, as she investigates a mysterious shooting that killed a local boy. The story explores themes of justice, secrecy, and the pressures of powerful families in a small town. Suitable for teens, it contains mature themes such as death and complex social dynamics, making it appropriate for readers aged 13 and up.

Why we rated This is our story ME (Moderate)

This is our story is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 312 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 This is our story as ME (Moderate, mostly 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Death.

Thematically, This is our story explores friendship, coming of age, family, mystery, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ 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, coming of age, family.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Moderate

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.