What reading level is Making friends with Billy Wong?

Making friends with Billy Wong by Augusta Scattergood is at a Level 3-4 reading level (Lexile 640L). Recommended for Lower Grades readers (Ages 5-8).

What age is Making friends with Billy Wong appropriate for?

Making friends with Billy Wong is recommended for Ages 5-8. HootRating: 8MS (Moderate — Social).

What genre is Making friends with Billy Wong?

Making friends with Billy Wong is fiction — JUVENILE FICTION.

Does Making friends with Billy Wong have any content warnings?

Making friends with Billy Wong has a HootRating of 8MS (Moderate — Social). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Making friends with Billy Wong?

Making friends with Billy Wong by Augusta Scattergood is 209 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated June 9, 2026

Making friends with Billy Wong

Augusta Scattergood

Making friends with Billy Wong

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Augusta Scattergood

Reading Level 3-4 8MS Ages 5-8 Matched

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 mild with minimal sensitive material.

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About This Book

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to make a new friend when everyone around you thinks you don’t belong? In a small Arkansas town in 1952, Azalea and Billy Wong face challenges that test their courage and kindness. What will happen when two very different kids try to break through barriers and build a friendship?

Themes

Friendship Family Multicultural Social Justice

Quick Assessment

Set in 1952 Arkansas, this story follows eleven-year-old Azalea as she spends the summer helping her grandmother while forming a friendship with Billy Wong, a Chinese-American boy facing prejudice at his new school. The book gently explores themes of friendship, cultural differences, and social challenges appropriate for early readers ages 5-8. Parents should note the historical context includes subtle references to racial discrimination.

Why we rated Making friends with Billy Wong 8MS

Making friends with Billy Wong is written at a Level 3-4 reading level with a Lexile measure of 640L across 209 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Making friends with Billy Wong works for readers up to grade 5.5.

We rate Making friends with Billy Wong as 8MS ("Moderate — Social") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. The strongest signals come from social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, Making friends with Billy Wong explores friendship, family, multicultural, and social justice — 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.
✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, family, multicultural.