Failure Is Impossible!
Martha Kendall
Failure Is Impossible!
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Martha Kendall
The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
Travel through American history to see how brave women challenged unfair rules and fought for equal rights, starting from the Salem witch trials all the way to the first female secretary of state. Discover the inspiring stories of courage and change that helped shape the future for girls and women everywhere.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 8-9 book with mild content intensity. It's a Sweet Spot read — challenging text with gentle themes, ideal for advanced or 2e readers. Content themes include historical conflict, social change. Written for readers ages 9-12.
Why we rated Failure Is Impossible! 12LN
Failure Is Impossible! is written at a Level 8-9 reading level across 96 pages (approximately 16,430 words). Strong independent readers around grade 9.1 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Failure Is Impossible! works for readers up to grade 10.1.
Read aloud, Failure Is Impossible! runs about 1.8 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Failure Is Impossible! as 12LN ("Light — Neutral") 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: Historical Conflict, Social Change.
Thematically, Failure Is Impossible! explores girls & women, history, social justice, and women's studies — 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.
- ✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about girls & women, history, social justice.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there is one more book in the People's History series.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
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
12LN — Light — NeutralLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Content Flags
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
5/10Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
More in the People's History Series
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 0822517442
- Pages
- 96
- Publisher
- Twenty-First Century Books
- Published
- February 2001
- Type
- Nonfiction
- Word Count
- 16,430
- Read-Aloud
- ~1h 50m
- Text Density
- Standard