Lily to the Rescue

Name: Lily to the Rescue
Author: W. Bruce Cameron
ISBN: 9781250762795

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by W. Bruce Cameron

Lily to the Rescue (Starscape)

Reading Level 4 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Balanced Read Page-Turner

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. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

Lily is a brave rescue dog who loves helping animals in need. When a group of playful arctic foxes escape from the zoo, Lily and her friends race against time to bring them safely back home. This heartwarming adventure shows how courage and kindness can make a big difference.

Themes

Friendship AdventureAnimalsFamily

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4 book with gentle content intensity. Content themes include mild peril. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated Lily to the Rescue C (Gentle)

Lily to the Rescue is written at a Level 4 reading level across 128 pages (approximately 13,402 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage Lily to the Rescue on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, Lily to the Rescue runs about 1.5 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Lily to the Rescue as C (Gentle) 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril.

Thematically, Lily to the Rescue explores friendship, adventure, animals, and family — 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.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, adventure, animals.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there is one more book in the Lily to the Rescue (Starscape) series.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

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