Teddy Mars
Molly B. Burnham
Teddy Mars
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
almost a world record breaker
by Molly B. Burnham
Illustrated by Spencer, Trevor , illustrator
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
Teddy Mars is a lively ten-year-old with big dreams of making it into the Guinness Book of World Records, despite living in a bustling household full of siblings. Alongside his best friends, he attempts wild and wacky challenges like building giant snow mounds and quirky feats involving grapes and chairs. Teddy’s adventurous spirit and hilarious mishaps, especially when his mischievous little brother gets involved, create a fun-filled story that will inspire kids to chase their own unique goals.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 4 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.
Why we rated Teddy Mars 9C
Teddy Mars is written at a Level 4 reading level across 215 pages (approximately 32,634 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Teddy Mars works for readers up to grade 6.0.
Read aloud, Teddy Mars runs about 3.6 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Teddy Mars 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, Teddy Mars explores humor, family, friendship, adventure, and sibling relationships — 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.
- ✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about humor, family, friendship.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 2 more books in the Teddy Mars series.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
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
6/10Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
More in the Teddy Mars Series
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780062278104
- Pages
- 215
- Publisher
- Katherine Tegen Books
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 32,634
- Read-Aloud
- ~3h 38m
- Text Density
- Standard