What I lost

Name: What I lost
Author: Alexandra Ballard
ISBN: 9780374304638

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Alexandra Ballard

Reading Level 3 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What if you had to live somewhere new because things got really hard at home? Imagine meeting friends who are facing struggles bigger than you ever imagined. How will Elizabeth find her way when every day feels like a challenge?

Themes

Mental HealthFriendship Coming of AgePsychiatric CareSelf-Discovery

Quick Assessment

This book follows sixteen-year-old Elizabeth as she navigates life in a residential psychiatric treatment center for anorexia. It explores themes of mental health, self-perception, and interpersonal relationships among teens in a sensitive and age-appropriate way. Recommended for older children and young teens, it provides insight into the emotional complexities faced by those with eating disorders and the importance of support.

Why we rated What I lost ME (Moderate)

What I lost is written at a Level 3 reading level across 390 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 What I lost as ME (Moderate, mostly 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: Mental Health.

Thematically, What I lost explores mental health, friendship, coming of age, psychiatric care, and self-discovery — 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 mental health, friendship, 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.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Intense ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Moderate

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.