Five Feet Apart ~ Rachael Lippincott

I had to wipe some SERIOUS tears before writing about this romance. But, wow, was it worth it. Protagonist of the novel, Stella, is the definition of determined. She’s smart, outgoing, confident, organized, and, above all, intent on surviving. She understands that being born with cystic fibrosis means a shortened lifespan, and she’s seen—too many times–-CFers who lose their lives without warning. But her parents need her, more now than ever, and Stella has created the systems in her life to make sure that she stays healthy. That is, until her lung function drops to 35 percent and a familiar hospital visit is completely thrown off by a new CF patient named Will. Will is everything Stella can’t stand. He’s arrogant, a rule-breaker, and worst of all, he doesn’t care about surviving. Stella is used to being in control, and Will’s presence down the hall throws everything off. But could change be a good thing for Stella? Students will not be able to put this page-turner down! 

Maturity: 2/4

I have many seventh grade students read this novel, but there is a scene where Stella and Will take off their clothes to go swimming. There is also mention of sex, but it does not go beyond that. It may also be important to note that death is a large part of this storyline, so this would not be a good fit for students who are sensitive to that. 

Pages: 274

Lexile: 780L

Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.

If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!

♥ RileyReadsYA ♥