The impossible race

Name: The impossible race
Author: Chad Morris
ISBN: 9781609079796

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Chad Morris

Illustrated by Brandon Dorman

Reading Level 3-4 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

The buzz of the holographic time machine hums through the halls of Cragbridge Hall, filling the air with electric excitement. Imagine racing through classrooms and corridors, using futuristic inventions to solve puzzles no one has ever dared to try. But this year, the prize is a secret so big, it could change everything—and Abby and Derick feel the weight of the future on their shoulders.

Themes

Adventure Friendship Science & Nature Fantasy World-BuildingSchoolsTwins

Quick Assessment

A group of friends at a futuristic boarding school compete in a tournament of challenges that race through the building's inventions, including a time machine, after a mysterious message from the future warns they are destined to fail. Expect mild peril from the competitions, some suspense about the stakes, and themes of choice, consequence, and perseverance that suit most readers ages 9 to 12 and younger readers with guidance.

Why we rated The impossible race LE (Mild)

The impossible race is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 426 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage The impossible race on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The impossible race as LE (Mild, mostly 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 impossible race explores adventure, friendship, science & nature, fantasy world-building, and schools — 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, science & nature.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?