Three truths and a lie

Name: Three truths and a lie
Author: Brent Hartinger
ISBN: 9781481449601

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Brent Hartinger

Reading Level 3-4 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Rob, Liam, Mia, and Galen are racing through the forest, hearts pounding and secrets swirling. Suddenly, a chilling truth threatens their weekend of fun—one of them is hiding a lie, and the mystery is just beginning. Who can you trust when the truth is a twist away?

Themes

SecretsFriendship MysteryDatingFiction

Quick Assessment

Four friends meet for a weekend retreat in the woods, where a game of three truths and a lie escalates into a tense psychological thriller with deadly stakes. Parents should know about sustained suspense, violent danger, and deaths, along with teen romance and a gay relationship that include some kissing and emotional intimacy but nothing explicit. The story also explores secrets, loyalty, and a character's search for his true self.

Why we rated Three truths and a lie LE (Mild)

Three truths and a lie is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 261 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 Three truths and a lie as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, Three truths and a lie explores secrets, friendship, mystery, dating, and fiction — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about secrets, friendship, mystery.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?