With a name like Love

Name: With a name like Love
Author: Tess Hilmo
ISBN: 9780374384654

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Tess Hilmo

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What if the smallest town held the biggest secrets? Ollie’s dad drives their trailer into Binder for a revival, but Ollie’s not expecting much—until she meets Jimmy, whose mom is behind bars for a crime she swears she didn’t commit. Can two kids change a town that’s already made up its mind?

Themes

Mystery FriendshipChristian LifeSmall Town LifeFamily

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows Ollie and her father, a traveling preacher, as they arrive in a small town where Ollie befriends Jimmy, a boy whose mother is imprisoned for a murder she insists she didn't commit. The story explores themes of friendship, faith, and justice in a community quick to judge. Suitable for ages 9-12, it presents moderate emotional themes around family and trust, with a gentle introduction to mystery and moral questioning.

Why we rated With a name like Love ME (Moderate)

With a name like Love is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 249 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage With a name like Love on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate With a name like Love 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.

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

Thematically, With a name like Love explores mystery, friendship, christian life, small town life, and family — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about mystery, friendship, christian life.

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

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.

Data confidence: high

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