Fishtale
Bauer, Hans
Fishtale
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Bauer, Hans
The text is written at a 6th 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
What if you could dive into the mysterious Mississippi bayou to find a legendary catfish called Ol' One Eye? Twelve-year-old Sawyer Brown and his sister Elvira are on a wild adventure, chasing the biggest, meanest fish around to recover a precious lost wedding ring. But the bayou holds secrets that could change everything they thought they knew.
Quick Assessment
Fishtale is a middle-grade adventure featuring a young boy and his sister exploring the Mississippi bayou to retrieve their mother's lost wedding ring from a giant catfish. The story weaves themes of family, courage, and nature in a way that's appropriate for ages 9-12. It offers an engaging narrative with light suspense and no concerning content.
Why we rated Fishtale 11LE
Fishtale is written at a Level 6 reading level across 208 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Fishtale works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Fishtale as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") 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.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Fishtale explores adventure, family, nature, 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, family, nature.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780761462231
- Pages
- 208
- Publisher
- Two Lions
- Published
- 2012
- Type
- Fiction