Ned And The General
Ron Madison
Ned And The General
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Lesson about Deployment
by Ron Madison
Illustrated by David Covolo
The text is written at a 2nd 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
What happens when a family's world changes because of a big, scary war? Ned feels all kinds of emotions as his family faces hard times and big changes. Can he find hope and courage when everything feels uncertain?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Ned and the General explores the emotional impact of family disruption during wartime through the eyes of a young child. Suitable for early readers aged 5-8, this gently addresses feelings of fear, change, and resilience in a family affected by conflict. Parents should be aware it introduces themes of war and family separation in an age-appropriate way.
Why we rated Ned And The General 7ME
Ned And The General is written at a Level 2 reading level across 26 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 3.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Ned And The General works for readers up to grade 4.0.
We rate Ned And The General as 7ME ("Moderate — Emotional") 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 — 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, Ned And The General explores emotions & feelings, parent and child, family, and war & conflict — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about emotions & feelings, parent and child, family.
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
7ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal 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
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781887206242
- Pages
- 26
- Publisher
- Ned's Head Books
- Published
- October 15, 2004
- Type
- Fiction