Growing friendships
Eileen Kennedy-Moore
Growing friendships
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Kids’ Guide to Making and Keeping Friends
by Eileen Kennedy-Moore
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
Have you ever felt left out or not sure how to fix a friendship? Imagine having a secret toolkit filled with advice and fun cartoons that help you understand why friends sometimes fight or tease. What if you could learn how to make friends and keep them too?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This book offers a research-based, practical guide to help children aged 9-12 navigate the complexities of friendship and social interactions. Written by a psychologist and a parenting expert, it uses relatable examples and cartoons to teach social skills, making it suitable for independent reading or shared discussions. It addresses common challenges like peer pressure and conflict in a gentle, age-appropriate way.
Why we rated Growing friendships 9C
Growing friendships is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 181 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Growing friendships works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Growing friendships 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, Growing friendships explores friendship, social skills, interpersonal relations, and child development — 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, social skills, interpersonal relations.
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
1/10A 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
- 9781582705880
- Pages
- 181
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction