Common beans
Oswaldo Voysest, Aart van Schoonhoven
Common beans
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Research for Crop Improvement
by Oswaldo Voysest, Aart van Schoonhoven
The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Common beans might just be the superheroes of the farming world! They can grow in big fields or tiny gardens, helping farmers everywhere. Discover how scientists are making beans even better to feed the world.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This nonfiction book explores the agricultural and scientific importance of common beans, focusing on their cultivation and improvement. Written by experts from a leading agricultural research center, it offers detailed insights suitable for middle-grade readers interested in science and farming. The content is appropriate for ages 9-12, with no mature themes.
Why we rated Common beans 12C
Common beans is written at a Level 8 reading level across 980 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Common beans works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate Common beans as 12C ("Clear") 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, Common beans explores science & nature, agriculture, and crop improvement — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about science & nature, agriculture, crop improvement.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A 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
- 9780851986791
- Pages
- 980
- Publisher
- C.A.B. International in association with Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical
- Published
- 1991
- Type
- Fiction