We Are Witnesses
Jacob Boas
We Are Witnesses
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust
by Jacob Boas
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
The scratch of a pen on paper echoes through a quiet room, capturing the hopes and fears of young voices in a dark time. You can almost smell the old pages filled with secrets and dreams from long ago. Their stories remind us how courage shines brightest in the darkest moments.
Quick Assessment
This book shares the true diary entries of five teenagers who lived and died during the Holocaust, providing a poignant and age-appropriate introduction to this difficult history for readers aged 9-12. It offers insight into their daily lives, hopes, and struggles while sensitively addressing themes of war and loss. Parents should be aware of the emotional weight of the subject matter but will find it handled with care.
Why we rated We Are Witnesses 11IE
We Are Witnesses is written at a Level 6 reading level across 208 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, We Are Witnesses works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate We Are Witnesses as 11IE ("Intense — 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: Holocaust, War & Conflict.
Thematically, We Are Witnesses explores historical, coming of age, family, social justice, and multicultural — 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 9-12 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 historical, coming of age, family.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
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
11IE — Intense — 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
6/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780312535674
- Pages
- 208
- Publisher
- Macmillan
- Published
- 2009
- Type
- Nonfiction