Competition
Maddie Ziegler
Competition
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Maddie Ziegler
The text is written at a 6th 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
The sharp tap of dance shoes echoes through the studio, filling the air with excitement and nerves. Harper’s heart races as the Dance Starz fly to New York City, ready to face fierce rivals and the ghosts of her past team. Will her moves be enough to shine on the biggest stage yet?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction follows Harper and her dance team, the Dance Starz, as they travel to New York City for a national competition. Along the way, Harper confronts rivalries and challenges from her past, exploring themes of friendship, perseverance, and self-confidence. Suitable for readers aged 9-12, the book offers an engaging story about teamwork and personal growth without intense content.
Why we rated Competition 11LE
Competition is written at a Level 6 reading level across 240 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Competition works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Competition as 11LE ("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, Competition explores friendship, coming of age, family, sports, and adventure — 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, coming of age, family.
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.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — 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
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781481486422
- Pages
- 240
- Publisher
- Aladdin
- Published
- 2019
- Type
- Fiction