Big game

Name: Big game
Author: Stuart Gibbs
ISBN: 9781481423335

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Stuart Gibbs

Reading Level 4-5 MP · Moderate · Physical Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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. Its HootRating code, MP, means moderate content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Here's a secret: FunJungle's rare Asian greater one-horned rhinoceros is in danger, and nobody knows who the hunter is. Twelve-year-old Teddy Fitzroy is determined to solve the mystery before it's too late—but that's only the beginning.

Themes

Detective and mystery storiesZoosEndangered speciesPoachingJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

Big Game is a middle-grade mystery featuring a young detective who investigates threats to an endangered rhinoceros in a zoo setting. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it introduces themes of wildlife conservation and poaching in an accessible way without graphic content.

Why we rated Big game MP (Moderate)

Big game is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 342 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Big game on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Big game as MP (Moderate, mostly 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, Big game explores detective and mystery stories, zoos, endangered species, poaching, and juvenile fiction — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about detective and mystery stories, zoos, endangered species.

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

MP · Moderate · Physical

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Moderate ←

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?