Friend Or Foe

Name: Friend Or Foe
Author: Eleanor Robins
ISBN: 9781616515935

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Eleanor Robins

Choices (Saddleback Publishing)

Reading Level 2-3 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

At Dawson High, deciding who should be class president sparks a fierce competition between Cory and Eli. When Jazz unexpectedly throws his hat in the ring, friendships are tested and tough choices must be made. Navigating loyalty and leadership, Jazz learns that standing up for what’s right isn’t always simple.

Themes

Friendship Coming of AgeLife DecisionsSocial Justice

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 2-3 book with mild content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, identity & self-discovery. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Friend Or Foe LE (Mild)

Friend Or Foe is written at a Level 2-3 reading level across 54 pages (approximately 4,490 words). Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

Read aloud, Friend Or Foe takes about 30 minutes, which fits within a single read-aloud session.

We rate Friend Or Foe as LE (Mild, mostly 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Identity & Self-Discovery.

Thematically, Friend Or Foe explores friendship, coming of age, life decisions, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, life decisions.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 8 more books in the Choices (Saddleback Publishing) series.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.