Baseball great
Tim Green
Baseball great
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Tim Green
Baseball Great
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Josh dreams of hitting home runs and making big plays on the baseball field, but his season takes an unexpected turn when his father's involvement leads him into a tricky situation beyond the game. As Josh navigates challenges both on and off the field, he learns what it truly means to be a teammate and a son.
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 5-6 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include drug traffic, emotional: family change, physical/safety: mild peril. Written for readers ages 9-12.
Why we rated Baseball great 10MP
Baseball great is written at a Level 5-6 reading level (approximately 46,156 words). Strong independent readers around grade 6.1 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Baseball great works for readers up to grade 7.1.
Read aloud, Baseball great runs about 5.1 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Baseball great as 10MP ("Moderate — Physical") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from physical peril, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Drug Traffic, Emotional: Family Change, Physical/Safety: Mild Peril.
Thematically, Baseball great explores sports, family, coming of age, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports, family, coming of age.
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
10MP — Moderate — PhysicalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
4/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780061626876
- Publisher
- HarperCollinsPublishers
- Published
- 2009
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 46,156
- Read-Aloud
- ~5h 8m