This Is Where It Ends

Name: This Is Where It Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
ISBN: 9781492661511

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Marieke Nijkamp

Reading Level 7 IE · Intense · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 7th 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, IE, means intense content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

The sharp echo of footsteps bounces off the cold auditorium walls, mixing with the faint scent of polished wood and nervous whispers. Suddenly, the doors lock tight, trapping everyone inside — and a terrifying silence falls. Hearts pound as fear creeps in, but this is only the beginning of a story about courage, survival, and hope.

Challenged Book

About & Banning Context

Ages 9–12

This novel explores the harrowing experience of a school shooting from the perspectives of four students trapped in their auditorium. The story unfolds in real-time, beginning with a principal's welcoming speech and quickly escalating into chaos as the doors lock and gunfire erupts. Each character grapples with their personal fears and aspirations during the terrifying ordeal, highlighting the emotional and psychological impact of such violence. Set against the backdrop of increasing school shootings, the narrative serves as a poignant reflection on the urgent need to address gun violence in society.

Key Themes

violence fear survival friendship mental health

Awards & Accolades (9)

● Updated 03/13/2024 Sourcebooks Contact Email: marketing@sourcebooks.com (2024)
● YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Readers (2017)
● YALSA Teens’ Top Ten Choice List (2017)
● ILA Young Adults' Choices Reading List (2017)
● Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2017)
● YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) Nominee (2017)
● Buckeye Teen Book Award Nominee (2019)
● Cybils Award Finalist (2016)
+ 1 more

Reviewed By

School Library Journal Publishers Weekly Kirkus Reviews The Horn Book

Source: Unite Against Book Bans — This Is Where It Ends

Themes

SchoolsInterpersonal RelationsViolenceSurvival

Quick Assessment

This intense middle-grade novel explores a school shooting from multiple perspectives, capturing the emotional and psychological impact of such a traumatic event. Recommended for mature readers aged 9-12, it deals with themes of violence and survival in a sensitive yet realistic way. Parents should be aware of the book's heavy subject matter and prepare for conversations about fear, trauma, and resilience.

Why we rated This Is Where It Ends IE (Intense)

This Is Where It Ends is written at a Level 7 reading level across 304 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 8 and up can manage This Is Where It Ends on their own.

We rate This Is Where It Ends as IE (Intense, mostly emotional) 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Fear & Anxiety, Physical Danger, Violence.

Thematically, This Is Where It Ends explores schools, interpersonal relations, violence, and survival — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about schools, interpersonal relations, violence.

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.

For Parents

Content Intensity

IE · Intense · Emotional

Emotional

Intense ←

Physical

Intense

Social

Gentle

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

Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.