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I Will Save You book cover

I Will Save You

by Matt de la Peña

Delacorte Books for Young Readers 2010

Easy read — content targets 9th–12th grade

Reading level 4.3 (4th grade) but themes aimed at ages 14+

Themes include trauma and healing

4th grade English Juvenile Fiction
322
Pages
10
AR Points
8.1h
Read time
AR Quiz Available
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YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011)YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2011)

Genre

Young adult contemporary; psychological realistic fiction

Themes

  • trauma and healing
  • memory and identity
  • love and friendship
  • grief and guilt
  • mental health
  • redemption
  • class and hardship
  • unreliable narration

About this book

Seventeen-year-old Kidd Ellison flees a group home and lands a summer job at a beach campground on the Southern California coast. As he finds purpose in hard work and falls for a girl named Olivia, fragments of his painful past surface—and a menacing figure from his life reappears—forcing Kidd to confront trauma, memory, and the truth about himself.

Setting: A beach campground on the Southern California coast (present day), with flashbacks to a group home and urban neighborhoods

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is I Will Save You right for my child?

It depends — here's what to consider for I Will Save You. The reading level is AR 4.3, which is typical for 4th grade. The interest level is rated Upper Grades (9–12), meaning the themes and content are designed for ages 14+ (9th–12th grade). Themes include trauma and healing, memory and identity, love and friendship.

How long does it take to read I Will Save You?

At a typical 4th grade reading pace, I Will Save You takes around 8.1h to finish. The book has 73,000 words. Slower or faster readers may vary significantly.

Does I Will Save You have an AR quiz?

Yes — I Will Save You has an AR quiz available, worth 10 points. Your child will need to take and pass the quiz through their school's Accelerated Reader program to earn credit. The quiz is typically 5–20 multiple choice questions about plot, characters, and setting.

What grade level is I Will Save You?

I Will Save You has an AR reading level of 4.3, which places it at a 4th grade reading difficulty. The interest level is rated Upper Grades (9–12) — this reflects the age-appropriateness of the content and themes, not just the reading difficulty. A strong younger reader may handle the words fine while the themes are aimed at an older audience, or vice versa.