Championship game
Dean Hughes
Championship game
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Dean Hughes
The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
The crowd is buzzing as the championship game heats up. Coach Wilkens suddenly rushes over to the other team, helping their players just when his own team needs him most. What is he really up to?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This early-reader fiction book follows a community baseball championship where loyalty and sportsmanship are put to the test. Suitable for ages 5-8, it explores themes of teamwork and trust in a simple, engaging story. Parents should know it includes mild suspense around the coach's surprising actions.
Why we rated Championship game 8LE
Championship game is written at a Level 3 reading level across 92 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Championship game works for readers up to grade 5.0.
We rate Championship game as 8LE ("Light — Emotional") 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, Championship game explores sports, friendship, and teamwork — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports, friendship, teamwork.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
8LE — Light — EmotionalNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A 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
- 0679804331
- Pages
- 92
- Publisher
- Random House Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 1990
- Type
- Fiction