Fair Exchange
Brennan Pearl
Fair Exchange
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Brennan Pearl
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Here's a secret: three star football players at Woodward High have a big dream of making it to the NFL. But when quick money from a dangerous game tempts them, everything starts to change — and that's only the beginning.
Quick Assessment
Fair Exchange is a middle-grade adventure about three talented high school football players who face tough choices involving sports, friendship, and risky decisions around illegal activities. Appropriate for ages 9-12, the book explores themes of ambition and consequences without graphic content, though it includes references to drug-related situations.
Why we rated Fair Exchange 12ME
Fair Exchange is written at a Level 7 reading level across 348 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Fair Exchange works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Fair Exchange as 12ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Fair Exchange explores adventure, sports, friendship, coming of age, and mystery — 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 adventure, sports, friendship.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
4/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781419647406
- Pages
- 348
- Publisher
- CreateSpace
- Published
- October 2, 2006
- Type
- Fiction