Soccer on Sunday

Name: Soccer on Sunday
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
ISBN: 9780307980533

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Mary Pope Osborne

Magic Tree House

Reading Level 4-5 C · Gentle Ages 5-8 Balanced Read Page-Turner

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

Jack and Annie travel to Mexico City during the 1970 World Cup to uncover a special secret for Merlin the Magician. Along the way, they meet soccer legend Pelé and discover the magic of teamwork and skill on the field. Their exciting adventure shows how sports can inspire greatness and friendship.

Themes

Adventure Sports Friendship Historical

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4-5 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 5-8.

Why we rated Soccer on Sunday C (Gentle)

Soccer on Sunday is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 115 pages (approximately 14,029 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage Soccer on Sunday on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, Soccer on Sunday runs about 1.6 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Soccer on Sunday as C (Gentle) 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, Soccer on Sunday explores adventure, sports, friendship, and historical — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, sports, friendship.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 11 more books in the Magic Tree House series.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

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

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

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