Breaking Game
Scott Charles
Breaking Game
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Scott Charles
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.
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About This Book
What if one moment on the soccer field changes everything? Twelve-year-old Rebecca faces a shocking red card that sends her not home, but to a strange camp where only the toughest young athletes survive. Can she prove she belongs before it's too late?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows 12-year-old Rebecca, whose soccer vacation takes an unexpected turn after a serious foul leads her to a mysterious camp for highly competitive young athletes. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story explores themes of sportsmanship, competition, and resilience with some mild tension around physical challenges and rivalry.
Why we rated Breaking Game 9ME
Breaking Game is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 170 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Breaking Game works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Breaking Game as 9ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, 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, Breaking Game explores sports, adventure, friendship, and coming of age — 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 sports, adventure, friendship.
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
9ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781736152157
- Pages
- 170
- Publisher
- Yellow Morning Press
- Published
- 2021
- Type
- Fiction