Blast Off!
Tracey West
Blast Off!
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Price Stern Sloan Reader (Space Chimps)
by Tracey West
The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
Ham III is the funniest chimp in space, but he’s also the bravest! When a sneaky villain threatens a whole planet, Ham has to stop clowning around and become a real hero. It’s a wild adventure where laughter and courage blast off together!
Themes
Quick Assessment
Blast Off! is an early reader book for ages 5 to 8 that follows Ham III, a playful chimp who embarks on a space mission to save a planet from an evil dictator. This fiction story combines humor and adventure to engage young readers and promote themes of courage and friendship. The content is age-appropriate, with no intense violence or mature themes.
Why we rated Blast Off! 7LE
Blast Off! is written at a Level 2 reading level across 48 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 3.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Blast Off! works for readers up to grade 4.0.
We rate Blast Off! as 7LE ("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, Blast Off! explores adventure, friendship, humor, and media tie-in — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, friendship, humor.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
7LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780843132243
- Pages
- 48
- Publisher
- Price Stern Sloan
- Published
- June 12, 2008
- Type
- Fiction