Promises!
Karen Tayleur
Promises!
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Vote for David Mortimore Baxter
by Karen Tayleur
Illustrated by Brann Garvey
The text is written at a 3rd 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
What if you had to make a promise to win a big school election? Imagine all the funny and wild things David tries to stop his stuck-up classmate from winning — but what happens when promises start piling up and getting harder to keep?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This humorous early reader explores themes of friendship, honesty, and consequences through a school election story suitable for ages 5-8. The book gently addresses the challenges of making and keeping promises in a lighthearted way without any concerning content, making it a good choice for young readers developing social awareness.
Why we rated Promises! 8LE
Promises! is written at a Level 3 reading level across 87 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Promises! works for readers up to grade 5.0.
We rate Promises! as 8LE ("Light — Emotional") 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, Promises! explores friendship, humor, school, honesty, and elections — 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 friendship, humor, school.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
8LE — Light — EmotionalNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781598890761
- Pages
- 87
- Publisher
- Capstone
- Published
- August 2006
- Type
- Fiction