= Partner SiteHey, Kiddo Reading Level: A Complete Guide
Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction, written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, is a 320-page autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a mother whose drug addiction meant she was in and out of rehab, in and out of prison, and mostly out of Jarrett’s life — and with grandparents, Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka, who raised him as their own after taking legal custody when he was three. It is also about the father whose name Jarrett didn’t know until he saw his birth certificate when registering for a school ski trip in high school. And it is about drawing: the comics Jarrett made from childhood onward, the art teacher who saw his potential and nurtured it, the path that led him from a complicated family to a career making books for children. A National Book Award Finalist in 2018, winner of the Harvey Award for Book of the Year, the Odyssey Award, and the Audie Award, praised by Booklist for its “raw, confessional quality and unguarded honesty,” and named a must-have by School Library Journal for its power to “empower readers, especially those who feel alone in difficult situations” — Hey, Kiddo is the most emotionally demanding and the most important graphic memoir in this catalog. This guide covers reading level, age appropriateness, content, themes, and similar books.
For Parents
A raw, honest, deeply moving graphic memoir about growing up with a mother addicted to drugs — told with warmth, humor, and the specific love of a child who never stopped hoping for something his mother couldn’t give him. Ages 12–16, grades 6–8 and up. Content: parental addiction and incarceration depicted directly and honestly. The grandparents are the book’s heart. Recommended by librarians, counselors, and educators for children in families affected by addiction.
For Teachers
A grades 6–8 and up classroom and library text — the most important available graphic memoir for students from families affected by addiction, and one of the most emotionally honest memoirs in the format at any level. TeachingBooks places it at grades 7–12. The audiobook, narrated by Krosoczka himself, won both the Odyssey and Audie Awards. A sequel, Sunshine, continues the story.
Hey, Kiddo at a Glance
Find on Amazon →| Author & Illustrator | Jarrett J. Krosoczka (author & illustrator) |
| Published | 2018 (Scholastic/Graphix) |
| Grade Level | 6–8 and up (our assessment) |
| Recommended Age | 12–16 |
| Lexile | GN510L (Graphic Novel Lexile — see below) |
| ATOS Level | 3.5 |
| Pages | 320 |
| Format | Autobiographical graphic novel |
| Genre | Graphic memoir / autobiography |
| Setting | Worcester, Massachusetts; 1980s–late 1990s |
| Awards | National Book Award Finalist (2018); Harvey Award – Book of the Year; Odyssey Award; Audie Award; Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor |
For official Lexile and AR levels, visit Lexile.com or AR BookFinder. ReadingVine provides independent editorial assessments.
What Reading Level Is Hey, Kiddo?
Lexile GN510L (Graphic Novel Lexile — separate scale from prose scores), ATOS 3.5, TeachingBooks grades 7–12, word count 16,162. The formula scores reflect only the dialogue and captions in a 320-page graphic memoir, not the full visual and emotional demands of the content. The ATOS 3.5 is lower than any Telgemeier title in this catalog, but the content places it squarely in grades 6–8 and above — not because the prose is complex but because the subject matter is genuinely heavy. Our editorial assessment: grades 6–8 and up, ages 12–16. For official scores, visit Lexile.com or AR BookFinder.
What Age Is Hey, Kiddo Appropriate For?
Ages 12–16, grades 6–8 and up. This is the most emotionally demanding graphic memoir in this catalog — meaningfully more so than any Telgemeier title. The content includes:
Parental drug addiction depicted directly and honestly — including a mother’s incarceration, her relapses, and the specific experience of a child who loves a parent who cannot reliably be present. The book handles this with remarkable compassion rather than judgment, but it is genuinely heavy material. School Library Journal specifically recommends it for students who “feel alone in difficult situations” — meaning children from families affected by addiction will recognize their own experience in its pages. Parents previewing for younger readers (under 12) should read it themselves first.
What Is Hey, Kiddo About?
Jarrett is in kindergarten when his teacher asks the class to draw their families — with a mommy and a daddy. Jarrett’s family doesn’t look like that. His mother Leslie is an addict; she is not reliably present. His grandparents, Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka, are raising him. He doesn’t know who his father is. He doesn’t ask, because the adults in his life seem to find it difficult to talk about, and Jarrett has learned not to push.
The memoir follows Jarrett from early childhood through high school — his complicated, intermittent relationship with his mother (who loves him, who tries, who cannot stay clean); his grandparents, who are loud, loving, opinionated, and the most stable thing in his life; his discovery, through an art teacher named Mr. Shilale, that drawing is not just something he does but something he is; and his eventual discovery, at sixteen, that he can find his father’s name on his own birth certificate. The book is about all of these things simultaneously, and about how you build a life out of a complicated beginning.
The warmth is as real as the difficulty. Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka are among the most vivid grandparent characters in recent memoir, and the love between Jarrett and his grandparents is the book’s emotional center. The book does not ask readers to be angry at Leslie. It asks them to understand what addiction does to families from the inside of one.
Hey, Kiddo Themes and Lessons
The book’s most important contribution is its specific, compassionate, non-judgmental depiction of what it is like to love a parent who struggles with addiction. Krosoczka does not demonize his mother; he depicts her with sorrow and love and the specific helplessness of a child who cannot fix what is broken. This is extremely rare in books for young people — most addiction narratives for children are either cautionary tales (addiction as lesson) or tragedy (addiction as loss). Hey, Kiddo is a memoir about living inside the situation, which is what most children in affected families actually experience.
The art thread is the book’s other essential argument. Mr. Shilale — Jarrett’s art teacher — is among the most important teacher figures in this catalog, beside Mrs. Baker in The Wednesday Wars and Mr. Terupt. He sees Jarrett’s potential, takes his work seriously, and gives him a place where who he is actually matters. The TED Talk Krosoczka has given about this experience (which he mentions in the book’s material and which is freely available) is a productive companion text for classrooms.
Discussion questions: How does Jarrett describe his feelings about his mother — is it anger, sadness, love, or all three? What do his grandparents give him that his mother can’t? What does drawing do for Jarrett — why is it so important? What does the title mean — who calls him “kiddo” and why?
Books Similar to Hey, Kiddo
About Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Jarrett J. Krosoczka was born on December 22, 1977, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was raised by his maternal grandparents, Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka, who took legal custody of him at age three because of his mother’s drug addiction. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and has published more than forty books for young readers, including the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, the Platypus Police Squad novels, and selected volumes of the Star Wars Jedi Academy series. He has given two TED Talks, both curated to TED.com’s main page, with a combined view count exceeding two million. The audiobook of Hey, Kiddo, which he narrated himself with a full cast, won both the Odyssey Award and the Audie Award. A sequel, Sunshine, continues his story. He lives in western Massachusetts with his family.
Hey, Kiddo: Frequently Asked Questions
What reading level is Hey, Kiddo?
Lexile GN510L (Graphic Novel Lexile, separate scale), ATOS 3.5, TeachingBooks grades 7–12. Our assessment: grades 6–8 and up, ages 12–16. The formula scores understate the emotional demands; the subject matter — parental addiction and incarceration — places it firmly in the older middle grade and YA range. For official scores, visit Lexile.com or AR BookFinder.
What is Hey, Kiddo about?
Jarrett Krosoczka’s memoir of growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a mother addicted to drugs — raised by his grandparents, not knowing his father’s name, finding his way through art and the specific stability of two very opinionated, very loving grandparents. From kindergarten through high school, including his discovery of who his father was and his eventual path to becoming an artist.
Is Hey, Kiddo appropriate for middle schoolers?
For grades 6–8 and up, ages 12 and up — more demanding than most middle-grade content. The subject matter (parental drug addiction, incarceration) is depicted honestly and compassionately. School Library Journal specifically recommends it for students who feel alone in difficult family situations; it is frequently recommended by school counselors and librarians for students from families affected by addiction.
Is there a sequel to Hey, Kiddo?
Yes — Sunshine continues Krosoczka’s autobiographical story. It picks up after the events of Hey, Kiddo and continues his account of his relationship with his mother and his life as a young adult.
Is the audiobook of Hey, Kiddo good?
Exceptional — Krosoczka narrated it himself with a full cast, and it won both the Odyssey Award (for excellence in audiobook for children and young adults) and the Audie Award. Booklist called it “spellbinding.” It is available wherever audiobooks are sold and is one of the most acclaimed children’s/YA audiobooks of recent years.
