Blob
David Walliams
Blob
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by David Walliams
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Blob is the most unusual friend you'll ever meet—a blobfish with a big heart and even bigger adventures. Bob never imagined that meeting Blob would change everything about his summer, and maybe even about what friendship really means.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Blob by David Walliams is a middle-grade fiction book suitable for ages 9 to 12, featuring a heartwarming story about an extraordinary friendship between a boy and a blobfish. The story explores themes of friendship, acceptance, and adventure with light humor and imaginative elements. It contains no intense content, making it appropriate for young readers.
Why we rated Blob 9C
Blob is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 118 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Blob works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Blob as 9C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.
Thematically, Blob explores friendship, adventure, humor, and children's 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 friendship, adventure, humor.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" 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
- 9780008235536
- Pages
- 118
- Publisher
- HarperCollins UK
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction