Side Tracked

Name: Side Tracked
Author: Diana Asher
ISBN: 9781419726019

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Diana Asher

Reading Level 3-4 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 3rd 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.

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About This Book

Not every hero wears a cape—some wear running shoes and face the wild world of middle school. This is the story of a misfit seventh-grader who joins the track team and discovers that winning isn’t just about crossing the finish line first. It’s about finding where you truly belong, and that matters more than any race.

Themes

FriendshipSports & RecreationComing of AgeSocial ThemesJuvenile Fiction

Quick Assessment

Seventh-grader Joseph Friedman, who has an overactive mind and many phobias, is pushed onto the school track team and makes a new friend in Heather while avoiding the bully Charlie Kastner. The story handles bullying, anxiety, and the awkwardness of puberty with humor and warmth, and it encourages persistence and friendship. Expect light, quickly resolved school conflict and no notable concerns beyond everyday middle school social pressure.

Why we rated Side Tracked LE (Mild)

Side Tracked is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 240 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage Side Tracked on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Side Tracked 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, Side Tracked explores friendship, sports & recreation, coming of age, social themes, and juvenile fiction — 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 friendship, sports & recreation, coming of age.

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

Mild

Thematic

Gentle

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?