With or without you
Brian Farrey
With or without you
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Brian Farrey
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
I have a secret about Evan that no one knows—he’s been hiding his boyfriend Erik for almost a year. But when Evan and his best friend Davis join the Chasers to find protection, everything starts to fall apart. And that’s just the beginning.
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores the challenges of friendship, identity, and loyalty as Evan navigates being gay and keeping his relationship a secret. It addresses themes of bullying and self-acceptance, appropriate for readers aged 9-12, with realistic depictions of social struggles and emotional complexity.
Why we rated With or without you 12IE
With or without you is written at a Level 7 reading level across 348 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, With or without you works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate With or without you 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Bullying, Identity & Self-Discovery.
Thematically, With or without you explores lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
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 lgbtq+ representation, friendship, coming of age.
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.
Content Flags
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
6/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781442406995
- Pages
- 348
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2011
- Type
- Fiction