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Splash landing

Jan Burchett

Cover of Splash landing

Splash landing

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jan Burchett

Illustrated by Paterson, Alex (Alex R. J.), illustrator

Reading Level 3 8C Ages 5-8 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.

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About This Book

What if a mysterious creature landed right in your backyard? Imagine a pet from another planet, packed with cool gadgets and superpowers—but also a knack for mischief! When Tom, Zack, and Daisy meet these tricky Pets from Space, their adventure takes a wild turn that you won't see coming!

Themes

HumorAdventureExtraterrestrial beingsChildren's FictionEarly Reader

Quick Assessment

This early reader book features two humorous and engaging stories about children encountering mischievous alien pets with special gadgets. Suitable for ages 5-8, it combines fun illustrations with accessible text to support developing readers. Parents should note the playful depictions of alien mischief, which are lighthearted and appropriate for young children.

Why we rated Splash landing 8C

Splash landing is written at a Level 3 reading level across 83 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Splash landing works for readers up to grade 5.0.

We rate Splash landing as 8C ("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, Splash landing explores humor, adventure, extraterrestrial beings, children's fiction, and early reader — 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.
  • Kids drawn to stories about humor, adventure, extraterrestrial beings.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

8C — Clear
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

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

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Gentle" 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
2
Emotional Weight
2
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

83 pages
ISBN
9781444011807
Pages
83
Publisher
Hodder Children's Books
Published
2014
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

Humorous StoriesExtraterrestrial BeingsScience FictionHuman-alien EncountersPets