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Lost and found

Kim Wayans

Cover of Lost and found

Lost and found

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Kim Wayans

Amy Hodgepodge

Reading Level 3-4 8C Ages 5-8 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 3rd 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

Amy feels nervous about her very first camping trip with her classmates deep in the woods. As the night unfolds, she discovers courage and learns to trust herself in the great outdoors. This gentle tale celebrates bravery and new experiences for young adventurers.

Themes

WorryCampingSelf-relianceMulticultural

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 3-4 book with gentle content intensity. Content themes include fear & anxiety. Written for readers ages 5-8.

Why we rated Lost and found 8C

Lost and found is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 116 pages (approximately 14,675 words). Strong independent readers around grade 4.7 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Lost and found works for readers up to grade 5.7.

Read aloud, Lost and found runs about 1.6 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Lost and found as 8C ("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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Fear & Anxiety.

Thematically, Lost and found explores worry, camping, self-reliance, and multicultural — 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 worry, camping, self-reliance.
  • Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there is one more book in the Amy Hodgepodge series.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

8C — Clear
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

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

Content Flags

Fear & Anxiety
Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

5/10

Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
3
Emotional Weight
2
Narrative Pace
7
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
8

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Details

Book Length

116 pages
14,675 words
1h 38m read-aloud
ISBN
9780448448978
Pages
116
Publisher
Penguin
Published
2008
Type
Fiction
Word Count
14,675
Read-Aloud
~1h 38m
Text Density
Light Text

Genres

Subjects

WorryCampingSelf-relianceRacially Mixed People