Frankie

Name: Frankie
Author: Mary Sullivan
ISBN: 9780544611139

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Mary Sullivan

Reading Level 2 C · Gentle Ages 5-8 Matched

The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

The soft squeak of a new ball fills the room as Frankie, the shelter dog, steps into his new home. But wait—there’s already another dog here, Nico, with all the toys piled up just for him. Can two pups learn to share and become friends?

Themes

SharingDogsFriendship

Quick Assessment

Frankie is a gentle story about a shelter dog adjusting to a new home where he must learn to share with the resident dog, Nico. Perfect for early readers ages 5-8, this book explores themes of sharing, friendship, and adaptation in a warm and accessible way. Parents can expect a lighthearted, reassuring tale with no intense content.

Why we rated Frankie C (Gentle)

Frankie is written at a Level 2 reading level across 38 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 3 and up can manage Frankie on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Frankie as C (Gentle) 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, Frankie explores sharing, dogs, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about sharing, dogs, friendship.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?