EllRay Jakes and the beanstalk

Name: EllRay Jakes and the beanstalk
Author: Sally Warner
ISBN: 9780670784998

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Sally Warner

Illustrated by Brian Biggs

Reading Level 5-6 C · Gentle Ages 5-8 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 5th 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 sharp scrape of wheels on concrete fills the air as EllRay watches the skateboarders zoom past. The scent of fresh pavement and summer sun mixes with the thrill of trying something new. Can EllRay master skateboarding and save his friendship before it’s too late?

Themes

FriendshipAfrican AmericansSkateboardingComing of Age

Quick Assessment

When his best friend Kevin starts skating with the meanest boy in class, EllRay Jakes asks an older neighbor to teach him skateboard tricks so he can win Kevin back. The story is a light, humorous look at friendship, jealousy, and trying new things, with peer teasing and a secret boys-only contest as its main pressures. It is a gentle read with no serious content, and the skateboarding focus includes only ordinary falls and bumps.

Why we rated EllRay Jakes and the beanstalk C (Gentle)

EllRay Jakes and the beanstalk is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 127 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage EllRay Jakes and the beanstalk on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate EllRay Jakes and the beanstalk 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, EllRay Jakes and the beanstalk explores friendship, african americans, skateboarding, and coming of age — 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 friendship, african americans, skateboarding.

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: high

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