In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson.

Betty Bao Lord

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson.

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Betty Bao Lord

Reading Level 4-5 9C Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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

After moving from China to Brooklyn in 1947, a young girl finds comfort and friendship through her love of baseball and the inspiring Brooklyn Dodgers. As she navigates a new culture, she discovers courage and connection in unexpected places. This heartwarming tale celebrates friendship, resilience, and the joy of finding your place.

Themes

Family Friendship Coming of Age Multicultural Sports Historical

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4-5 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. 9C

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 169 pages (approximately 26,776 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.6 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. works for readers up to grade 6.6.

Read aloud, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. runs about 3 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. 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, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. explores family, friendship, coming of age, multicultural, and sports — 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 family, 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 — Clear

Emotional

Clear

Physical

Clear

Social

Clear

Thematic

Clear

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

3/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level

Emotional Weight

Narrative Pace

Theme Richness

World Scope

Data Confidence

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In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

Bette Bao Lord