The outlaws of Sherwood Street

Name: The outlaws of Sherwood Street
Author: Peter Abrahams
ISBN: 9780399255038

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Giving to the Poor

by Peter Abrahams

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

What if you found a magical charm that could protect a secret place? Robbie and his friends discover just that—a way to save a special burial ground from being destroyed. But can their magic and courage stop powerful forces that want to change their neighborhood forever?

Themes

MagicIndians of North AmericaNeighborhoodsJusticeFamily

Quick Assessment

Robbie and her friends use street smarts, inventions, and a magic charm to protect a Canarsee burial ground from a greedy developer who has already caused a death. Parents should know the story deals with the killing of a parent, grief, and neighborhood hardship, while the peril and confrontations stay fairly light and the tone is hopeful. It is a good fit for readers who enjoy social justice themes and young detective-style adventures.

Why we rated The outlaws of Sherwood Street LE (Mild)

The outlaws of Sherwood Street is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 283 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage The outlaws of Sherwood Street on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The outlaws of Sherwood Street 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 outlaws of Sherwood Street explores magic, indians of north america, neighborhoods, justice, and family — 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 magic, indians of north america, neighborhoods.

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

Mild

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?