Love double Dutch!
Doreen Spicer-Dannelly
Love double Dutch!
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Doreen Spicer-Dannelly
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
Have you ever dreamed of winning a big competition, only to have everything change in a flash? MaKayla’s summer plans flip upside down when she’s sent to her aunt’s house far from Brooklyn, where double Dutch is a whole new game—and so is dealing with her cousin Sally. Can she find new friends, master the ropes, and prove that Brooklyn attitude beats all?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows MaKayla, a passionate double Dutch jumper who faces family upheaval when she must spend summer in the South away from home. It explores themes of family conflict, cultural differences, and resilience, with positive messages about friendship and determination. Suitable for ages 9-12, it contains mild references to family separation but no intense content.
Why we rated Love double Dutch! 11LE
Love double Dutch! is written at a Level 6 reading level across 234 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Love double Dutch! works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Love double Dutch! as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Love double Dutch! explores sports, family, friendship, african american, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports, family, friendship.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781524700003
- Pages
- 234
- Publisher
- Random House Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction