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Prince

Bruce Brooks

Cover of Prince

Prince

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Bruce Brooks

Wolfbay Wings

Reading Level 6 11C Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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 gentle with no concerning themes.

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About This Book

Prince is the only Black player on his hockey team and a star at center, but when a cool basketball coach wants him to join his squad, Prince faces a tough choice between the sport he shares with his cherished grandfather and the new path others expect him to take. Caught between two worlds, he must decide where his true passion lies. This story explores friendship, family bonds, and the challenges of following your own dreams.

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 6 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated Prince 11C

Prince is written at a Level 6 reading level across 122 pages (approximately 23,288 words). Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Prince works for readers up to grade 8.0.

Read aloud, Prince runs about 2.6 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Prince as 11C ("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, Prince explores sports, family, friendship, and multicultural — 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.
  • Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
  • Kids drawn to stories about sports, family, friendship.

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

11C — 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

6/10

Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.

Discussion Potential

2/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
2
Narrative Pace
5
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
8

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Details

Book Length

122 pages
23,288 words
2h 35m read-aloud
ISBN
0064406008
Pages
122
Publisher
HarperTrophy
Published
1998
Type
Fiction
Word Count
23,288
Read-Aloud
~2h 35m
Text Density
Standard
Era
Modern Classic (1998)

Genres

Subjects

HockeyBasketballAfrican AmericansGrandfathersGrandparents