What you left behind
Jessica Verdi
What you left behind
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Jessica Verdi
The text is written at a 7th 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
Here’s a secret: Rhyden’s life is full of surprises he’s not ready to share. He’s only just started high school again, but he’s already a dad—and he’s still trying to understand loss and love. Finding a hidden journal could change everything, but that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores complex themes of grief, young parenthood, and family dynamics through the story of Rhyden, a teenage father coping with the loss of his girlfriend to cancer. Suitable for readers aged 9-12, it sensitively addresses emotional challenges and the realities of single-parent families. Parents should be aware of mature subjects like illness, death, and teenage dating.
Why we rated What you left behind 12IE
What you left behind is written at a Level 7 reading level across 361 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, What you left behind works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate What you left behind as 12IE ("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 — 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 you left behind explores family, coming of age, friendship, romance, and single-parent families — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, coming of age, friendship.
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
12IE — Intense — 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
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781492608745
- Pages
- 361
- Publisher
- Sourcebooks Fire
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction