Quicks
Kevin Waltman
Quicks
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Kevin Waltman
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 does it take to lead your team to victory when everything feels like it's against you? D-Bow is ready to shine in his senior year, with his knee healed and big dreams in sight, but new challenges—like a rival player and messy family drama—threaten to throw him off. Can he find the strength to be the leader Marion High has never had before?
Quick Assessment
Quicks is a middle-grade novel centered on D-Bow, a talented basketball player navigating his senior year at an inner-city Indianapolis high school. The story explores themes of sportsmanship, leadership, and family challenges, including teen relationships and a pregnant mother. Suitable for ages 9-12, the book offers a realistic portrayal of adolescent struggles alongside competitive basketball.
Why we rated Quicks 11LE
Quicks is written at a Level 6 reading level across 293 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Quicks works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Quicks 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, Quicks explores sports, friendship, family, coming of age, 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports, friendship, 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
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781941026625
- Pages
- 293
- Publisher
- Cinco Puntos Press
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction