The tale of Angelino Brown

Name: The tale of Angelino Brown
Author: David Almond
ISBN: 9780763695637

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by David Almond

Illustrated by Alex T. Smith

Reading Level 6 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

A Junior Library Guild selection (JLG.)

The text is written at a 6th 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

Angelino Brown isn’t your ordinary son—he’s a tiny angel with a big personality! When Bert finds him in his pocket, life takes a magical turn that shows how family can come in the most surprising forms. This story proves that love and laughter are the true miracles that matter.

Themes

Humor FamilyFantasyAngelsEngland

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction book follows Bert and his wife as they raise Angelino, a small boy angel found unexpectedly. The story blends humor and family themes set in England, making it suitable for ages 9-12. It offers lighthearted exploration of family bonds without intense or mature content.

Why we rated The tale of Angelino Brown C (Gentle)

The tale of Angelino Brown is written at a Level 6 reading level across 258 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage The tale of Angelino Brown on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The tale of Angelino Brown 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 tale of Angelino Brown explores humor, family, fantasy, angels, and england — 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, family, fantasy.
✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — The tale of Angelino Brown carries an award.

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: standard

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