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Race and College Sports

Duchess Harris

Cover of Race and College Sports

Race and College Sports

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Duchess Harris

Reading Level 4-5 9MS Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

Did you know that college sports might not be as fair as they seem? Black athletes often shine on the field but face tricky challenges off it. This book uncovers why it’s important to rethink who really benefits from the game—and what that means for all players.

Themes

SportsRace relationsSocial JusticeEducation

Quick Assessment

This nonfiction book explores how race impacts college sports, focusing on the experiences of Black athletes within the NCAA system. It critically examines issues like athlete exploitation, graduation rates, and the debate over sharing sports revenues. Suitable for readers ages 9-12, it includes helpful features such as a glossary and references to support understanding of complex social topics.

Why we rated Race and College Sports 9MS

Race and College Sports is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 115 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Race and College Sports works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate Race and College Sports as 9MS ("Moderate — Social") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, Race and College Sports explores sports, race relations, social justice, and education — 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 sports, race relations, social justice.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
  • ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.

For Parents

Content Intensity

9MS — Moderate — Social
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Clear
Social
Moderate
Thematic
Moderate

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

2/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

3/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
4
Emotional Weight
6
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

115 pages
ISBN
9781532158216
Pages
115
Publisher
ABDO
Published
2018
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

SportsRace Relations