This Train Is Being Held
Ismvée Williams
This Train Is Being Held
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Ismvée Williams
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
What if your biggest dreams clashed with your family's expectations? On a bustling New York City subway, Alex, a talented baseball player with a secret passion for poetry, and Isa, a dancer facing tough family struggles, collide. Can their unexpected connection survive the challenges pulling them apart?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This young adult novel explores the lives of Alex and Isa, two teens grappling with family pressures, personal ambitions, and complex social dynamics including class differences and cultural identity. It sensitively addresses themes like mental health struggles and anxiety attacks, with brief references to drug use. Suitable for ages 13-18, the book offers a thoughtful look at romance and self-discovery amidst real-life challenges.
Why we rated This Train Is Being Held 12ME
This Train Is Being Held is written at a Level 7 reading level across 304 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, This Train Is Being Held works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate This Train Is Being Held as 12ME ("Moderate — 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Anxiety Attack, Drug Use.
Thematically, This Train Is Being Held explores romance, family, coming of age, class differences, and mental health — 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.
- ✓ 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 romance, family, coming of age.
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
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
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
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781683354871
- Pages
- 304
- Publisher
- ABRAMS (Ignition)
- Published
- 2020
- Type
- Fiction