How to Be Cheeri
Master Taekwon Lee
How to Be Cheeri
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Team Taekwondo #3
by Master Taekwon Lee
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
Cheeri is the hardest working Taekwondo star you’ll meet, but sometimes she forgets how to have fun. Baeoh, her playful partner, does the opposite — he’s all fun and no work! When they team up, they have to figure out how to balance effort with enjoyment, or they might never move up in rank.
Quick Assessment
This graphic novel follows Cheeri, a dedicated Taekwondo student, and her friend Baeoh as they learn to balance hard work and fun while training together. Suitable for middle-grade readers, the story offers positive messages about friendship, perseverance, and teamwork without any intense content. Its humorous and relatable approach makes it a great pick for children ages 9 to 12.
Why we rated How to Be Cheeri 9LE
How to Be Cheeri is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 108 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, How to Be Cheeri works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate How to Be Cheeri as 9LE ("Light — Emotional") 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, How to Be Cheeri explores friendship, coming of age, humor, sports, and adventure — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, humor.
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
9LE — Light — EmotionalNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
4/10A 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
- 9781623369507
- Pages
- 108
- Publisher
- Rodale Kids
- Published
- 2019
- Type
- Fiction