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Sir stinks-a-lot

Dav Pilkey

Cover of Sir stinks-a-lot

Sir stinks-a-lot

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

The Twelfth Epic Novel

by Dav Pilkey

Reading Level 5-6 10LE 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.

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About This Book

George and Harold sneak into the gym, hearts pounding as their doubles march in perfect unison under the gym teacher’s strange mind-control spell. Just as the doubles start to obey every command without question, George spots a chance to break the spell—but will it be too late?

Themes

HumorAdventureSchoolTechnology

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction book follows George and Harold as they face a humorous yet adventurous challenge when their doubles fall under a gym teacher’s mind-control. Suitable for ages 9-12, it combines action, school life, and technology themes with light humor. Parents should note the story includes mild peril and imaginative fantasy elements typical of Dav Pilkey’s style.

Why we rated Sir stinks-a-lot 10LE

Sir stinks-a-lot is written at a Level 5-6 reading level with a Lexile measure of 800L across 205 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 6.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Sir stinks-a-lot works for readers up to grade 7.5.

We rate Sir stinks-a-lot as 10LE ("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, Sir stinks-a-lot explores humor, adventure, school, and technology — 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, adventure, school.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

10LE — Light — Emotional
Emotional
Light
Physical
Light
Social
Clear
Thematic
Light

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
4
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

205 pages
ISBN
9780545504928
Pages
205
Publisher
Scholastic, Incorporated
Published
2015
Type
Fiction
Lexile
800L

Genres

Subjects

Action & AdventureHumorous StoriesSchool & EducationTechnologyInventionsSocial ThemesFriendshipChapter BooksSpanish Language MaterialsBrainwashingCaptain UnderpantsSchoolsSupervillainsSuperheroesElementary SchoolsHeroesTeachersGood and EvilSchool PrincipalsRomans, Nouvelles, Etc. Pour La JeunesseSuperhérosDirecteurs D'écoleSupervilainsLavage De CerveauBobette, Capitaine