Penny Draws a Team Sport
Sara Shepard
Penny Draws a Team Sport
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Sara Shepard
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 mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
What if everyone you know is joining a new team sport, but you’re not sure you’re any good? Penny Lowry faces just that challenge when her school’s charity pickleball tournament is announced. With friends signing up and a TV crew coming to film, can Penny keep her cool and find her own way to shine?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Penny, a fifth grader who uses drawing to manage her anxiety as she navigates the pressures of joining a team sport for the first time. The story addresses themes of self-doubt, friendship, and coping with stress in a lighthearted and age-appropriate way, making it suitable for readers ages 9 to 12. There is no intense content, and the book offers positive messages about resilience and support.
Why we rated Penny Draws a Team Sport 11LE
Penny Draws a Team Sport is written at a Level 6 reading level across 224 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Penny Draws a Team Sport works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Penny Draws a Team Sport as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Penny Draws a Team Sport explores friendship, humor, family, and coming of age — 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, humor, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A 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
- 9780593700310
- Pages
- 224
- Publisher
- Penguin Group
- Published
- 2025
- Type
- Fiction