Good Dog
Dan Gemeinhart
Good Dog
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Dan Gemeinhart
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Brodie isn’t just any dog — he’s a good dog who’s broken the rules of heaven! When he sees the boy he loves is in danger, Brodie must team up with a pitbull and a grumpy cat to save him. What lengths will a loyal friend go to, even if it means losing paradise?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Good Dog follows the story of Brodie, a dog who returns from the afterlife as a spirit to protect a boy he loves. This middle-grade novel explores themes of loyalty, friendship, and courage, with some gentle touches of the supernatural and afterlife. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it handles death and loss with sensitivity and includes mild peril.
Why we rated Good Dog 12ME
Good Dog is written at a Level 7 reading level across 304 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Good Dog works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Good Dog as 12ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Good Dog explores friendship, family, adventure, animals, and supernatural — 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 friendship, family, adventure.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781338528756
- Pages
- 304
- Publisher
- Scholastic Press
- Published
- 2019
- Type
- Fiction