Making & keeping friends
John J. Schmidt
Making & keeping friends
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Ready-to-Use Lessons, Stories, and Activities for Building Relationships, Grades 4-8
by John J. Schmidt
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 gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Have you ever wondered why some friendships last forever while others fade away? Imagine stepping into a world where you discover the secrets of making and keeping true friends by learning about yourself and others. What surprising lessons will you find in the journey to becoming a great friend?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This interactive middle-grade book offers a structured program that helps children ages 9-12 understand and develop lasting friendships. Through nine engaging sections filled with activities and role-play scripts, kids learn important social skills and self-awareness in a supportive format. The content is appropriate for this age group and focuses on positive relationship-building without any concerning themes.
Why we rated Making & keeping friends 11C
Making & keeping friends is written at a Level 6 reading level across 229 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Making & keeping friends works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Making & keeping friends as 11C ("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, Making & keeping friends explores friendship, social skills, self-discovery, and activity-based learning — 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 friendship, social skills, self-discovery.
- ✓ 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.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 0876285531
- Pages
- 229
- Publisher
- Jossey-Bass
- Published
- 1997
- Type
- Nonfiction