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My teacher flunked the planet

Bruce Coville

Cover of My teacher flunked the planet

My teacher flunked the planet

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Bruce Coville

Reading Level 4-5 9C Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th 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

What if your teacher wasn't just strict but actually flunked the entire planet? Imagine school days turning into intergalactic adventures where the fate of Earth hangs on your every move. Could you help pass the ultimate test, or is the whole world doomed to fail?

Themes

Extraterrestrial beingsTeachersSchoolsHumorAdventure

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction book by Bruce Coville blends humor and sci-fi as it explores an extraordinary school experience involving extraterrestrial beings and teachers. Targeted at ages 9-12, it offers engaging storytelling with themes of school life and alien encounters. Parents should note it contains imaginative scenarios suitable for children comfortable with light fantasy and adventure.

Why we rated My teacher flunked the planet 9C

My teacher flunked the planet is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 162 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, My teacher flunked the planet works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate My teacher flunked the planet as 9C ("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, My teacher flunked the planet explores extraterrestrial beings, teachers, schools, humor, and adventure — 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.
  • Kids drawn to stories about extraterrestrial beings, teachers, schools.

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.

For Parents

Content Intensity

9C — Clear
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

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

Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
4
Emotional Weight
2
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

162 pages
ISBN
9781416903314
Pages
162
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published
1992
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

Extraterrestrial BeingsTeachersSchoolsFantasyCoville, BruceScience FictionHumorous StoriesAction & AdventureScience Fiction, Fantasy, & MagicLife on Other PlanetsAlien AbductionExtraterrestrial Beings in FictionSchools in FictionTeachers in FictionSchool StoriesAliensAliens-Juv. LiteratureHuman-alien EncountersFantasy Fiction