The sixth man

Name: The sixth man
Author: John Feinstein
ISBN: 9780385753500

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by John Feinstein

Reading Level 4-5 LP · Mild · Physical Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LP, means mild content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Max Bellotti isn’t just any player—he’s the secret weapon who could take the Lions all the way to the championship. But what if his biggest secret threatens to bench him for good? The game is on the line, and everything depends on whether Max can keep his cool.

Themes

SchoolsBasketballHigh schoolsSecretsCoaches (Athletics)

Quick Assessment

New transfer Max Bellotti arrives at the Lions' high school with big talent and bigger expectations, but when he comes out as gay, teammates and school officials split into bitter conflict. Expect cold shoulders, snide comments, and heated protests that test the team's loyalty, with the story exploring prejudice and perseverance in a hot-button sports setting. Parents may want to talk through the hostility Max faces and how the team responds, since the conflict is emotionally pointed but the story centers on acceptance and teamwork.

Why we rated The sixth man LP (Mild)

The sixth man is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 298 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate The sixth man as LP (Mild, mostly physical) 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril.

Thematically, The sixth man explores schools, basketball, high schools, secrets, and coaches (athletics) — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about schools, basketball, high schools.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LP · Mild · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Mild ←

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.