Fast Company
Rich Wallace
Fast Company
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Winning Season
by Rich Wallace
The text is written at a 4th 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
Manny bolts down the track, his heart pounding as the crowd roars. He's faster than ever, but the finish line is still far away—and so is the challenge he didn’t see coming. Can Manny keep his lead when the unexpected happens?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Fast Company follows Manny Ramos, a sixth-grader and speedy football player, as he joins a track club to test his running skills against tougher competition. This middle-grade fiction explores themes of sportsmanship, perseverance, and self-confidence, suitable for readers ages 9 to 12. The story contains no notable content concerns and highlights positive messages about trying new challenges.
Why we rated Fast Company 9C
Fast Company is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 128 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Fast Company works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Fast Company as 9C ("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, Fast Company explores sports & recreation, football, friendship, and coming of age — 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 sports & recreation, football, friendship.
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
9C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780142404683
- Pages
- 128
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- September 8, 2005
- Type
- Fiction