Soup 1776
Robert Newton Peck
Soup 1776
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Robert Newton Peck
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
Rob dashes through the bustling streets of Learning, Vermont, just as Soup unveils his wild plan to rewrite history with a Fourth of July pageant like no other. The town buzzes with excitement and chaos as secrets come to light—will their plan succeed or backfire spectacularly?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Soup 1776 follows Rob and his friend Soup as they organize a humorous and adventurous Fourth of July pageant in their small town. Suitable for readers aged 9-12, this middle-grade fiction explores themes of friendship, community, and local history with lighthearted fun and positive messages. The story contains mild mischief but no concerning content.
Why we rated Soup 1776 9C
Soup 1776 is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 144 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Soup 1776 works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Soup 1776 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, Soup 1776 explores adventure, humor, friendship, community, and historical — 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 adventure, humor, friendship.
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.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780679892625
- Pages
- 144
- Publisher
- Knopf Books for Young Readers
- Published
- November 17, 1998
- Type
- Fiction