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James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States

Fern G. Brown

Cover of James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States

James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Fern G. Brown

Presidents of the United States (Garrett Educ.)

Reading Level 8-9 12C Ages 9-12 Sweet Spot

The text is written at a 8th 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

Discover the journey of James A. Garfield from his humble beginnings to becoming the 20th President of the United States. Explore his early years, dedication to learning, and rise through the political ranks in a captivating story perfect for young readers. Learn how his life shaped American history during a pivotal time.

Themes

HistoricalBiographyPresidentsComing of AgePolitics and Government

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 8-9 book with gentle content intensity. It's a Sweet Spot read — challenging text with gentle themes, ideal for advanced or 2e readers. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States 12C

James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States is written at a Level 8-9 reading level across 124 pages (approximately 30,294 words). Strong independent readers around grade 9.1 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States works for readers up to grade 10.1.

Read aloud, James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States runs about 3.4 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States as 12C ("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, James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States explores historical, biography, presidents, coming of age, and politics and government — 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.
  • Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
  • Kids drawn to stories about historical, biography, presidents.
  • Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 3 more books in the Presidents of the United States (Garrett Educ.) series.
  • Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.

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

12C — 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

6/10

Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.

Discussion Potential

3/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
7
Emotional Weight
2
Narrative Pace
5
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
8

More in the Presidents of the United States (Garrett Educ.) Series

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Details

Book Length

124 pages
30,294 words
3h 22m read-aloud
ISBN
0944483631
Pages
124
Publisher
Garrett Educational
Published
1990
Type
Nonfiction
Word Count
30,294
Read-Aloud
~3h 22m
Text Density
Standard

Genres

Subjects

Garfield, James A. 1831-1881PresidentsUnited StatesPolitics and Government1877-1881