Revenge of the green banana

Name: Revenge of the green banana
Author: Jim Murphy
ISBN: 9780544786776

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jim Murphy

Reading Level 5-6 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 5th 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.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

What if your teacher seemed to have it out for you, making your life impossible at school? Imagine being forced to wear a giant green banana costume onstage with little kids! Jimmy is ready to get even, but can his prank turn the tables without causing chaos?

Themes

HumorCatholic SchoolsPractical JokesFriendshipSchool Life

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction book follows Jimmy Murphy, a sixth grader at a Catholic school who feels unfairly targeted by his strict teacher, Sister Angelica Rose. Through humor and practical jokes, the story explores themes of school life and standing up for oneself, appropriate for ages 9-12. Parents should know it contains light mischief and school-based conflicts but no serious content concerns.

Why we rated Revenge of the green banana LE (Mild)

Revenge of the green banana is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 214 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Revenge of the green banana on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Revenge of the green banana 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, Revenge of the green banana explores humor, catholic schools, practical jokes, friendship, and school life — 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 humor, catholic schools, practical jokes.

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

Gentle

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

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?