What reading level is The dog days of Charlotte Hayes?

The dog days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy is at a Level 4-5 reading level (Lexile 790L). Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is The dog days of Charlotte Hayes appropriate for?

The dog days of Charlotte Hayes is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9LE (Light — Emotional).

What genre is The dog days of Charlotte Hayes?

The dog days of Charlotte Hayes is fiction — Juvenile Fiction.

Does The dog days of Charlotte Hayes have any content warnings?

The dog days of Charlotte Hayes has a HootRating of 9LE (Light — Emotional). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is The dog days of Charlotte Hayes?

The dog days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy is 240 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated July 16, 2026

The dog days of Charlotte Hayes

Marlane Kennedy

The dog days of Charlotte Hayes

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Marlane Kennedy

Reading Level 4-5 9LE Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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

Why would anyone want a huge, slobbery Saint Bernard puppy? Charlotte doesn’t get the fuss about dogs, yet somehow Beauregard ends up in her backyard, lonely and chained. Can Charlotte find a way to give Beauregard the happy home he deserves before it’s too late?

Themes

Family FriendshipAnimals & PetsResponsibilityComing of Age Multicultural

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel explores themes of family, responsibility, and kindness through the story of Charlotte, a girl who reluctantly cares for a neglected Saint Bernard puppy. Set in West Virginia, the book gently addresses the challenges of caring for pets and the compassion needed to help animals in need. Suitable for readers ages 9 to 12, it offers a warm, relatable look at growing up and making a difference.

Why we rated The dog days of Charlotte Hayes 9LE

The dog days of Charlotte Hayes is written at a Level 4-5 reading level with a Lexile measure of 790L across 240 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The dog days of Charlotte Hayes works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate The dog days of Charlotte Hayes as 9LE ("Light — Emotional") 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, The dog days of Charlotte Hayes explores family, friendship, animals & pets, responsibility, and coming of age — 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 family, friendship, animals & pets.

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.