You are not here

Name: You are not here
Author: Samantha Schutz
ISBN: 9780545169110

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Samantha Schutz

Reading Level 3 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd 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

The soft rustle of leaves whispers secrets on a quiet afternoon. Annaleah feels the weight of silence where laughter used to be, as memories of someone very special fill the air around her. It’s a gentle ache that only she seems to understand, but that feeling is just the start of her story.

Themes

GriefBereavementFriendship FamilyJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

After seventeen-year-old Brian dies suddenly, his secret girlfriend Annaleah finds her grief unacknowledged by her friends and his family. The story focuses on loss, loneliness, and a hidden relationship, with romantic content that is emotional rather than explicit. It offers a good opening for conversations about grief that goes unrecognized and how to support someone who is hurting quietly.

Why we rated You are not here ME (Moderate)

You are not here is written at a Level 3 reading level across 292 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 You are not here 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, You are not here explores grief, bereavement, friendship, family, and juvenile fiction — 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 grief, bereavement, friendship.

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?