The Dangerous Canoe Race (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #4)
Lee Roddy
The Dangerous Canoe Race (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #4)
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Lee Roddy
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 mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
What if a canoe race in the sparkling Hawaiian waters turned into a thrilling battle of wits and courage? Imagine twelve-year-old Josh and his friends paddling their hearts out, only to discover their challenger isn’t playing fair. Can they outsmart danger and learn what winning really means before it’s too late?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade adventure follows twelve-year-old Josh and his friends as they compete in a challenging outrigger canoe race in Hawaii. The story explores themes of sportsmanship, friendship, and perseverance, highlighting the importance of winning and losing gracefully. Suitable for readers aged 9-12, it contains mild peril but no graphic content.
Why we rated The Dangerous Canoe Race (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #4) 9LE
The Dangerous Canoe Race (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #4) is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 137 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Dangerous Canoe Race (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #4) works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate The Dangerous Canoe Race (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #4) as 9LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, The Dangerous Canoe Race (The Ladd Family Adventure Series #4) explores adventure, friendship, and sports — 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, friendship, sports.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" 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
- 9780880622530
- Pages
- 137
- Publisher
- Mott Media (MI)
- Published
- June 1, 2006
- Type
- Fiction