By the grace of Todd

Name: By the grace of Todd
Author: Louise Galveston
ISBN: 9781595146779

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Louise Galveston

Illustrated by Patrick Faricy

Reading Level 4-5 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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 mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Todd isn’t just any kid—he’s a giant god to a tiny civilization living in his dirty laundry! But when a school bully threatens the Toddlians, Todd has to step up and save his tiny followers. Can he protect them without getting caught?

Themes

BullyingHumor Friendship AdventureImagination

Quick Assessment

This humorous middle-grade fiction explores themes of size, cleanliness, and bullying through the imaginative story of a boy whose laundry harbors a tiny civilization. Suitable for ages 9-12, it offers lighthearted adventure while addressing bullying in a kid-friendly way. The story encourages empathy and creativity without intense content.

Why we rated By the grace of Todd LE (Mild)

By the grace of Todd is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 239 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage By the grace of Todd on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate By the grace of Todd as LE (Mild, mostly 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, By the grace of Todd explores bullying, humor, friendship, adventure, and imagination — 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 bullying, humor, friendship.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

Thematic

Gentle

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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