The night I flunked my field trip

Name: The night I flunked my field trip
Author: Henry Winkler
ISBN: 0448433524

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Henry Winkler

Reading Level 3-4 8C Ages 5-8 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores with every purchase.

About This Book

What if your school trip turned into a wild adventure on a giant sailing ship? Imagine being chosen as first mate, but the captain is a little too serious about his job. Can Hank survive the craziest night on the water without sinking the whole trip?

Themes

SchoolHumor Adventure Friendship

Quick Assessment

This humorous fiction book follows Hank, a third grader who gets to spend the night on a historic sailing ship as part of a school field trip. When he is unexpectedly named first mate, Hank faces unexpected challenges that make the trip both exciting and stressful. Suitable for early readers ages 5-8, the story offers lighthearted fun with themes of school experiences and teamwork.

Why we rated The night I flunked my field trip 8C

The night I flunked my field trip is written at a Level 3-4 reading level with a Lexile measure of 690L across 154 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The night I flunked my field trip works for readers up to grade 5.5.

We rate The night I flunked my field trip as 8C ("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, The night I flunked my field trip explores school, humor, adventure, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.