What reading level is Secrets According to Humphrey?

Secrets According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney is at a Level 4-5 reading level. Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is Secrets According to Humphrey appropriate for?

Secrets According to Humphrey is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9C (Clear).

What genre is Secrets According to Humphrey?

Secrets According to Humphrey is fiction — Juvenile Fiction. Part of the Humphrey Adventures series.

Does Secrets According to Humphrey have any content warnings?

Secrets According to Humphrey has a HootRating of 9C (Clear). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Secrets According to Humphrey?

Secrets According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney is 144 pages (approximately 27,125 words).

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated May 18, 2026

Secrets According to Humphrey

Betty G. Birney

Secrets According to Humphrey

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Betty G. Birney

Humphrey Adventures

Reading Level 4-5 9C Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th 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

Humphrey the hamster discovers that Room 26 holds many secrets, including the surprising news that one of the students will be leaving soon. As he navigates the ups and downs of school life, Humphrey uncovers the hidden stories behind his classmates' lives. His curious adventures reveal the true meaning of friendship and change.

Themes

PetsFriendship Adventure Coming of AgeSchool Life

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4-5 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated Secrets According to Humphrey 9C

Secrets According to Humphrey is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 144 pages (approximately 27,125 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.2 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Secrets According to Humphrey works for readers up to grade 6.2.

Read aloud, Secrets According to Humphrey runs about 3 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Secrets According to Humphrey as 9C ("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, Secrets According to Humphrey explores pets, friendship, adventure, coming of age, 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.
✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about pets, friendship, adventure.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 9 more books in the Humphrey Adventures series.

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.