Double-Cross

Name: Double-Cross
Author: Eleanor Robins
ISBN: 9781616515959

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Eleanor Robins

Choices (Saddleback Publishing)

Reading Level 2-3 LP · Mild · Physical Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LP, means mild content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Braden is determined to land a summer job to earn the car he's been dreaming of, but the fierce competition forces him to face tough choices about loyalty and honesty. As he navigates friendships and challenges, he learns that doing what's right is rarely simple. Will Braden stay true to his values or sacrifice them to achieve his goals?

Themes

Friendship Coming of AgeCompetitionLife DecisionsMoral Choices

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 2-3 book with mild content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, emotional: identity & self-discovery. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Double-Cross LP (Mild)

Double-Cross is written at a Level 2-3 reading level across 52 pages (approximately 4,981 words). Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

Read aloud, Double-Cross takes about 33 minutes, which fits within a single read-aloud session.

We rate Double-Cross as LP (Mild, mostly physical) 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Emotional: Identity & Self-Discovery.

Thematically, Double-Cross explores friendship, coming of age, competition, life decisions, and moral choices — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, competition.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 8 more books in the Choices (Saddleback Publishing) series.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LP · Mild · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Mild ←

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.