Where the truth lies

Name: Where the truth lies
Author: Jessica Warman
ISBN: 9780802720788

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jessica Warman

Reading Level 3-4 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

The chilly night air smells like pine and old books as Emily lies awake, haunted by whispers from her dreams. Each shadow in her room feels alive, pulling her closer to a secret she’s only just beginning to understand. But when Del Sugar arrives, everything Emily thought she knew starts to change.

Themes

NightmaresMemoryBoarding SchoolsFriendship Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

Emily Meckler, whose father runs a Connecticut boarding school, has nightmares about fire and water that no one in her life can explain. Her search for answers leads to a romance with Del Sugar and to hard discoveries about her family and her past, including deception by people she trusts. The book includes a passionate relationship and emotionally intense moments, so it suits older teen readers who can handle mature family drama and a mystery that unfolds gradually.

Why we rated Where the truth lies LE (Mild)

Where the truth lies is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 313 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 Where the truth lies as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, Where the truth lies explores nightmares, memory, boarding schools, friendship, 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 nightmares, memory, boarding schools.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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