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Nate the Great and the lost list
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Nate the Great and the lost list
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Nate the Great pauses his fun backyard break to track down a missing grocery list for his friend, racing against time to solve the mystery before lunchtime. Join Nate as he uses his clever detective skills to uncover clues and crack the case. It’s a delightful adventure full of fun and friendship!
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 2-3 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 5-8.
Why we rated Nate the Great and the lost list 7C
Nate the Great and the lost list is written at a Level 2-3 reading level with a Lexile measure of 480L across 80 pages (approximately 1,570 words). Strong independent readers around grade 3.6 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Nate the Great and the lost list works for readers up to grade 4.6.
Read aloud, Nate the Great and the lost list takes about 10 minutes, which fits within a single read-aloud session.
We rate Nate the Great and the lost list as 7C ("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, Nate the Great and the lost list explores friendship, adventure, and mystery — 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.
- ✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, adventure, mystery.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 23 more books in the Nate the Great series.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
7C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
10/10High engagement — fast-paced, fun, and hard to put down. Great for reluctant readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Based on content and theme analysis
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 0440462827
- Pages
- 80
- Publisher
- Random House Children's Books
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 1,570
- Lexile
- 480L
- Read-Aloud
- ~10 min
- Text Density
- Picture-Heavy