Excellent excuses (and other good stuff)

Liz Pichon

Excellent excuses (and other good stuff)

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Liz Pichon

Reading Level 7 12C Ages 9-12 Sweet Spot

The text is written at a 7th 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

What would you do with two whole weeks off school? Tom Gates has a plan packed with hilarious mischief—like driving his big sister crazy, gobbling caramel candy, and rocking out with his band DOGZOMBIES. But can he overcome a toothache, unfinished homework, and find a drummer before they hit the big time?

Themes

Family FriendshipSchoolHumorMusic

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction follows Tom Gates, a creative and humorous boy navigating school breaks with his band and family antics. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story features lighthearted themes of sibling relationships, school life, and friendship, with gentle humor and some references to mild obstacles like toothache and homework stress.

Why we rated Excellent excuses (and other good stuff) 12C

Excellent excuses (and other good stuff) is written at a Level 7 reading level across 340 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Excellent excuses (and other good stuff) works for readers up to grade 9.0.

We rate Excellent excuses (and other good stuff) 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, Excellent excuses (and other good stuff) explores family, friendship, school, humor, and music — 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 family, friendship, school.

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 — Clear

Emotional

Clear

Physical

Clear

Social

Clear

Thematic

Clear

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

2/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level

Emotional Weight

Theme Richness

World Scope

Data Confidence

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Excellent Excuses (and Other Good Stuff)

Liz Pichon