More Than a Game
Matt Doeden
More Than a Game
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Race, Gender, and Politics in Sports
by Matt Doeden
The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Have you ever wondered why sports can be more than just a game? Imagine legendary athletes standing up not just to win, but to change the world around them. What happens when the game becomes a stage for big ideas and brave choices?
Quick Assessment
More Than a Game introduces young readers to the powerful intersection of sports, history, and civil rights. Through accessible stories of iconic athletes and pivotal moments, this book offers important context on racial and social justice movements suitable for early readers. Parents should note it addresses complex themes like discrimination and protest in a thoughtful, age-appropriate way.
Why we rated More Than a Game 8IS
More Than a Game is written at a Level 3 reading level across 64 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, More Than a Game works for readers up to grade 5.0.
We rate More Than a Game as 8IS ("Intense — Social") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, social complexity, thematic difficulty — 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 moderate intensity score.
Thematically, More Than a Game explores multicultural, historical, sports, social justice, and coming of age — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
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 multicultural, historical, sports.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
8IS — Intense — SocialReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781541540941
- Pages
- 64
- Publisher
- Millbrook Press TM
- Published
- 2020
- Type
- Fiction