The principal's underwear is missing

Name: The principal's underwear is missing
Author: Holly Kowitt
ISBN: 9781250091321

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Holly Kowitt

Reading Level 3 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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 gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

Nobody expects a sixth-grade nobody to cause a volleyball accident with the school’s most popular eighth grader — but Becca Birnbaum does just that! When she accidentally takes the principal’s mysterious shopping bag, things spiral out of control fast. Now, if Becca and Selfie don’t fix this mess quickly, the biggest prank in school history is about to explode!

Themes

HumorSchool LifeFriendshipPopularity

Quick Assessment

A sixth grader accidentally knocks down the most popular girl in school, then tries to help her by grabbing the wrong bag from the principal's office, which sets off a funny chase to recover a very personal item before a major school prank. The story centers on popularity, social pressure, and an unlikely friendship, with light slapstick and a volleyball mishap as the main physical moments. It is a lighthearted read with no serious content, and it may be a good fit for kids who enjoy school humor.

Why we rated The principal's underwear is missing C (Gentle)

The principal's underwear is missing is written at a Level 3 reading level across 216 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 4 and up can manage The principal's underwear is missing on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The principal's underwear is missing as C (Gentle) 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 principal's underwear is missing explores humor, school life, friendship, and popularity — 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 humor, school life, friendship.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

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

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: high

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