What we knew
Barbara Stewart
What we knew
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Novel
by Barbara Stewart
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
Have you ever wondered what secrets hide just beyond the trees? Tracy and Lisa grew up fearing a scary story about a creepy man in the woods, but now that they’re older, is it all just a myth? When strange things start happening, they realize some monsters might be real—and the biggest danger could be the secrets they keep.
Themes
Quick Assessment
What We Knew is a middle-grade novel exploring themes of friendship, secrets, and the challenges girls face as they grow up. The story involves suspense around a threatening figure in the woods and the emotional impact of hidden truths. Recommended for ages 9-12, it contains mild tension and themes of fear and trust but no graphic content.
Why we rated What we knew 11ME
What we knew is written at a Level 6 reading level across 246 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, What we knew works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate What we knew as 11ME ("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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, What we knew explores friendship, secrets, coming of age, and juvenile fiction — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, secrets, 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
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
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
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781250051394
- Pages
- 246
- Publisher
- Macmillan + ORM
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction