Setting the Pace
Bonnie Bryant
Setting the Pace
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Bonnie Bryant
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
The crisp air crackles with the sound of hooves pounding the frosty ground, and the scent of pine fills the chilly evening. At Pine Hollow, every heartbeat races faster as new friendships spark and big choices loom just ahead. What surprises will this New Year bring, and will the girls find the courage to chase their dreams?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Setting the Pace follows a group of friends at Pine Hollow as they navigate new relationships, personal challenges, and important decisions at the start of a new year. Suitable for middle-grade readers, this story explores themes of friendship, love, and self-discovery in a gentle and age-appropriate way. Parents should note the book contains some romantic elements and emotional growth moments typical for this age group.
Why we rated Setting the Pace 11LE
Setting the Pace is written at a Level 6 reading level across 236 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Setting the Pace works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Setting the Pace 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, Setting the Pace explores friendship, coming of age, family, animals, and romance — 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 friendship, coming of age, 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
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781497654136
- Pages
- 236
- Publisher
- Open Road Media
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction