The Poison, The Puppy and The Sore Loser
Audrey Schechter
The Poison, The Puppy and The Sore Loser
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Hardcover Edition
by Audrey Schechter
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Here’s a secret: Duke, the cutest puppy ever, has been kidnapped right after a crazy cooking contest! Now, 11-year-old Izzi and her friends must crack mysterious clues to save him before it’s too late—but that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade mystery follows 11-year-old Izzi and her friends as they race against time to rescue their kidnapped puppy mascot, Duke, after a high school bully’s revenge plot. The story includes themes of bravery, teamwork, and problem-solving, suitable for readers aged 9-12. While the plot involves a tense rescue and a threat involving chocolate poisoning, the content remains appropriate and engaging for intermediate readers.
Why we rated The Poison, The Puppy and The Sore Loser 9ME
The Poison, The Puppy and The Sore Loser is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 165 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Poison, The Puppy and The Sore Loser works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate The Poison, The Puppy and The Sore Loser as 9ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, The Poison, The Puppy and The Sore Loser explores friendship, adventure, mystery, family, and animals/pets — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, adventure, mystery.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9798987030714
- Pages
- 165
- Publisher
- Stellamoch
- Published
- 2023
- Type
- Fiction