Do-Wrong Ron

Name: Do-Wrong Ron
Author: Steven Herrick
ISBN: 9781865086613

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Steven Herrick

Reading Level 4-5 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The Children's Book Council of Australia honour book

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 gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

Ron trips over his own feet again, sending papers flying everywhere. Charlie the guinea pig squeaks in surprise, but then Ron spots Isabelle smiling like nothing's wrong. Just when Ron thinks things might finally go right, a new challenge appears—what will they do next?

Themes

Friendship Humor Coming of Age Family

Quick Assessment

Do-Wrong Ron is a humorous and heartfelt middle-grade novel told in free verse, featuring an accident-prone boy who struggles to fit in. The story explores themes of friendship, kindness, and overcoming self-doubt, suitable for ages 9-12. Parents should know the book uses light humor and gentle life lessons without any intense content.

Why we rated Do-Wrong Ron C (Gentle)

Do-Wrong Ron is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 132 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Do-Wrong Ron on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Do-Wrong Ron 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, Do-Wrong Ron explores friendship, humor, coming of age, and family — 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, humor, coming of age.
✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — Do-Wrong Ron carries an award.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Mild

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: standard

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