Sports Illustrated Baseball's Record Breakers
Bill Gutman
Sports Illustrated Baseball's Record Breakers
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Bill Gutman
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
The crowd roars as the ball soars through the air—will it break the record? Every pitch, catch, and home run tells a story of heroes who push the limits of the game. But just when you think you've seen it all, a new record shatters everything you knew about baseball.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This engaging middle-grade nonfiction book highlights the greatest players and record-breaking moments in baseball history. Suitable for ages 9-12, it offers inspiring facts and feats that celebrate the sport's past and present. Parents should note it contains detailed sports statistics and terminology appropriate for readers comfortable with grade 4.5 reading level.
Why we rated Sports Illustrated Baseball's Record Breakers 9C
Sports Illustrated Baseball's Record Breakers 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, Sports Illustrated Baseball's Record Breakers works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Sports Illustrated Baseball's Record Breakers 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, Sports Illustrated Baseball's Record Breakers explores sports, records, baseball, and juvenile literature — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about sports, records, baseball.
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.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
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
2/10A 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
- 9789993247357
- Pages
- 144
- Publisher
- Simon Spotlight Entertainment
- Published
- March 1990
- Type
- Fiction