Gunner, football hero
James Ransome
Gunner, football hero
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by James Ransome
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Gunner may be small, but when he steps onto the field as quarterback, he surprises everyone with his skills and courage. His big moment in the game shows that heroes come in all sizes and that determination can make dreams come true. Celebrate friendship and sportsmanship in this exciting football adventure.
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 4-5 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 5-8.
Why we rated Gunner, football hero 9C
Gunner, football hero is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 32 pages (approximately 612 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.3 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Gunner, football hero works for readers up to grade 6.3.
Read aloud, Gunner, football hero takes about 4 minutes, which fits within a single read-aloud session.
We rate Gunner, football hero 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, Gunner, football hero explores sports, friendship, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports, friendship, coming of age.
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.
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
6/10Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780823420537
- Pages
- 32
- Publisher
- Holiday House
- Published
- 2009
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 612
- Read-Aloud
- ~4 min
- Text Density
- Picture-Heavy