When we collided

Name: When we collided
Author: Emery Lord
ISBN: 9781619638457

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Emery Lord

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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

Jonah has faced one big change after another, from losing his dad to taking care of his family. Then Vivi arrives—a girl who’s bursting with energy and refuses to be held back, even by the medicine meant to help her. But when Vivi’s daring spirit starts to lead her into real danger, will their love be strong enough to hold them together?

Themes

Mental IllnessLoveDysfunctional FamiliesDepressionComing of Age

Quick Assessment

Seventeen-year-old Jonah Daniels is holding his family together after his father's death, caring for his five siblings and their restaurant while his mother sinks into depression. When a new girl, Vivi, arrives for the summer, their romance brings hope, but her danger-seeking and refusal to take her prescribed medication raise serious concern. Parents should know the story deals directly with grief, parental depression, mental illness, and risky behavior, with heavy emotional weight throughout.

Why we rated When we collided ME (Moderate)

When we collided is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 344 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 When we collided 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mental Health.

Thematically, When we collided explores mental illness, love, dysfunctional families, depression, and coming of age — 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 illness, love, dysfunctional families.

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

Mild

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.