Whatever

Name: Whatever
Author: S. J. Goslee
ISBN: 9781626723993

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Or how Junior Year Became Totally F$@cked

by S. J. Goslee

Reading Level 6-7 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th 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 suddenly realized something huge about yourself that changes everything? Imagine trying to keep your cool while dealing with school, friends, and the surprising news that you’re gay. How will you handle the hilarious chaos that follows?

Themes

Humor Coming of Age LGBTQ+ Representation Friendship Identity & Self-Discovery

Quick Assessment

A slacker teen named Mike discovers he is gay during his junior year, and the story follows his messy, funny, and honest path through the coming-out process. The book is frank about sex and sexuality and uses frequent strong language, including many f-bombs, so it suits older teen readers who can handle mature humor and conversation. Parents should expect candid talk about teen drinking and crushes, but the tone stays comedic and the story centers on self-acceptance.

Why we rated Whatever ME (Moderate)

Whatever is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 266 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 Whatever 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 — 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, Whatever explores humor, coming of age, lgbtq+ representation, friendship, and identity & 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 humor, coming of age, lgbtq+ representation.

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

Moderate ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

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.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?