Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
We Are Not from Here
Jenny Torres Sanchez
We Are Not from Here
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Jenny Torres Sanchez
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), 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 rumble of the freight train shakes the ground beneath their feet, and the sharp scent of dust fills the air. Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña clutch their few belongings, hearts pounding as they step into the unknown, chasing a hope that glimmers beyond the horizon. Their journey is filled with danger and heartbreak, but also fierce friendship and courage.
Quick Assessment
Three teens flee their hometown in Guatemala after threats become impossible to ignore, then ride the freight train known as La Bestia through Mexico toward the U.S. border. Expect intense peril, realistic violence, including a brutal attack on a woman, the death of a dog, a parent's abandonment of a child, stalking, alcohol abuse, and a mention of rape. The story is emotionally heavy but rooted in friendship and resilience, making it best suited to older teens ready to discuss migration and its hardships.
Why we rated We Are Not from Here IE (Intense)
We Are Not from Here is written at a Level 7 reading level across 368 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 We Are Not from Here 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Family Separation, Dangerous Journey, Emotional Intensity.
Thematically, We Are Not from Here explores friendship, family, survival, social justice, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, family, survival.
- ✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — We Are Not from Here carries an award.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 13 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
For Parents
Content Intensity
IE · Intense · EmotionalReading 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.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781984812261
- Pages
- 368
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- May 19, 2020
- Type
- Fiction