Pete & Fremont

Name: Pete & Fremont
Author: Jenny Tripp
ISBN: 9780152056292

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jenny Tripp

Reading Level 4-5 LE · Mild · Emotional 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 mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Pete the poodle isn’t just any circus dog—he’s the brightest star under the big top, all dressed in dazzling pink! But when his tricks start to flop, a giant grizzly bear named Fremont steps into the spotlight. What happens when a flashy poodle and a wild bear team up? It might just change the whole circus forever.

Themes

FriendshipAnimalsCircusResilienceComing of Age

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction centers on Pete, a once-celebrated circus poodle, and Fremont, a recently captured wild grizzly bear who becomes the circus’s new attraction. The story explores themes of friendship, resilience, and adapting to change within the unique setting of a traveling circus. Suitable for ages 9-12, the book features mild animal-related challenges but no intense content, making it a lighthearted read about camaraderie and personal growth.

Why we rated Pete & Fremont LE (Mild)

Pete & Fremont is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 180 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Pete & Fremont on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Pete & Fremont as LE (Mild, mostly 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, Pete & Fremont explores friendship, animals, circus, resilience, 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, animals, circus.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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