Baseball rival
Tim Green
Baseball rival
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Baseball Great Novel
by Tim Green
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
Josh is more than just a player—he's the heart of the Titans, fighting for victory in the legendary Cooperstown tournament. When a sneaky move and a tough injury put everything at risk, Josh spots something fishy that could change the game forever. But with his best friend distracted by a star player, can Josh uncover the truth before it's too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Baseball Rival by Tim Green is a middle-grade sports fiction novel about a boy named Josh whose baseball team reaches a national tournament in the iconic Cooperstown. The story explores themes of sportsmanship, friendship, and family, with some mild suspense involving suspicious behavior and an injury. Suitable for ages 9-12, it offers positive messages about teamwork and integrity, with no intense content concerns.
Why we rated Baseball rival 11LE
Baseball rival is written at a Level 6 reading level across 272 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Baseball rival works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Baseball rival as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Baseball rival explores sports, friendship, family, sportsmanship, and suspense — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports, friendship, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780061626920
- Pages
- 272
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Fiction