Cody and the fountain of happiness

Name: Cody and the fountain of happiness
Author: Tricia Springstubb
ISBN: 9780763658571

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Tricia Springstubb

Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler

Reading Level 2-3 C · Gentle Ages 5-8 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

The warm scent of fresh-cut grass fills the air as summer vacation bursts open like a bright lemonade stand. Cody’s feet crunch on the sidewalk while ants wave their tiny feelers in a friendly hello. With a new friend and a missing cat to find, this summer is buzzing with surprises and laughter that sparkle like sunshine on a pond.

Themes

SummerCatsVacationsFriendshipJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

This charming early reader follows Cody as she navigates the excitement and challenges of summer vacation, family changes, and new friendships. Suitable for ages 5-8, the story gently explores themes of family dynamics, dealing with change, and the joy of discovery in a lighthearted and humorous tone. Parents can expect a warm, relatable story with no concerning content.

Why we rated Cody and the fountain of happiness C (Gentle)

Cody and the fountain of happiness is written at a Level 2-3 reading level across 151 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 4 and up can manage Cody and the fountain of happiness on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Cody and the fountain of happiness as C (Gentle) 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, Cody and the fountain of happiness explores summer, cats, vacations, friendship, and juvenile fiction — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about summer, cats, vacations.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

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

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: high

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