Football Mad (Hippo Sport)
Paul Stewart
Football Mad (Hippo Sport)
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Teamwork!
by Paul Stewart
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
What happens when the boys from St Botolph's face their toughest challenge yet—a Charity Shield match against the girls' team? They start off confident, but watching the girls train changes everything. Who will take the win when the pressure is on both sides?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction book follows the boys of St Botolph's as they prepare for a competitive soccer match against their school's girls' team. It explores themes of teamwork, sportsmanship, and healthy competition suitable for ages 9 to 12. The story contains no intense content, making it appropriate for readers interested in sports and friendship.
Why we rated Football Mad (Hippo Sport) 9C
Football Mad (Hippo Sport) 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, Football Mad (Hippo Sport) works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Football Mad (Hippo Sport) 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, Football Mad (Hippo Sport) explores sports, friendship, teamwork, and competition — 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, friendship, teamwork.
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
2/10A 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
- 9780439995078
- Pages
- 128
- Publisher
- Scholastic
- Published
- August 18, 2000
- Type
- Fiction