What Light~ Jay Asher

In our family, Mike watches football, and Riley and I read ☺️

I’ve got to say, this romance kick I’ve been on has me feeling like such a sap! And speaking of sap… Jay Asher’s novel, What Light, features protagonist Sierra, a high schooler who, for her whole life, has spent every holiday season away from her family’s home in Oregon to sell Christmas trees in California. Like every year, Sierra and her parents enjoy spreading holiday cheer, living in an airstream on the tree lot. This year, though, becomes even more meaningful when Sierra’s parents are unsure if, financially, they’ll be able to maintain the lot for another season.

Then, Sierra meets Caleb, a cute and charming boy who mysteriously buys more Christmas trees than any one family could ever need.  As Sierra spends more time with Caleb, on and off the lot, one thing becomes clear: Caleb’s past is complicated. As Sierra tries to sort rumors from the truth, she has to decide if Caleb is worth fighting for. This sweet, sweet romance explores the true meaning of love, trust, and forgiveness.  

Maturity: 1/4

Sierra and Caleb kiss in this novel, but their romance does not go beyond that, and I would feel comfortable recommending this book to readers age 12+.

Pages: 251

Lexile: HL690L

HL stands for “high level,” meaning that this novel’s content is more mature than the reading level indicates.

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 ♥