Christmas in Cooperstown
David A. Kelly
Christmas in Cooperstown
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by David A. Kelly
Illustrated by Meyers, Mark, illustrator
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.
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About This Book
Here’s a secret: Mike and Kate aren’t just getting any Christmas gift—they’re spending the night inside the Baseball Hall of Fame! But when a flashlight beam reveals a fake baseball card, the holiday fun turns into a real mystery. Catching the crook and saving Christmas is just the beginning!
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade chapter book combines festive cheer with a thrilling mystery set in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Suitable for ages 9 to 12, it features themes of honesty and problem-solving as two kids work to recover a stolen baseball card while helping a charity. The story includes light suspense but is appropriate for young readers interested in holiday stories and baseball.
Why we rated Christmas in Cooperstown 9LE
Christmas in Cooperstown is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 125 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Christmas in Cooperstown works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Christmas in Cooperstown as 9LE ("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, Christmas in Cooperstown explores friendship, adventure, mystery, sports, and holiday — 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, mystery.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
4/10A 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
- 9780399551925
- Pages
- 125
- Publisher
- Random House Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction