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The War With Mr. Wizzle

Gordon Korman

Cover of The War With Mr. Wizzle

The War With Mr. Wizzle

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Gordon Korman

Reading Level 4-5 9LP Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.

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About This Book

What if your school got taken over by a robot-loving principal who wants to change everything? Bruno and Boots face new rules, high-tech lessons, and a computer that seems to be running the show. Can they stop Mr. Wizzle’s plans before it’s too late?

Themes

School storiesFriendshipHumorAdventureComputers

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows two boys, Bruno and Boots, as they deal with a new principal’s attempts to modernize their school using computers and unconventional methods. The story explores themes of friendship, school challenges, and adapting to change, appropriate for ages 9-12. There is light conflict and humor, with no intense content or inappropriate material.

Why we rated The War With Mr. Wizzle 9LP

The War With Mr. Wizzle is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 192 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The War With Mr. Wizzle works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate The War With Mr. Wizzle as 9LP ("Light — 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 War With Mr. Wizzle explores school stories, friendship, humor, adventure, and computers — 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 school stories, friendship, humor.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

9LP — Light — Physical
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Light
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Content Flags

Mild Peril
Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
4
Emotional Weight
4
Theme Richness
6
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

192 pages
ISBN
9789992315125
Pages
192
Publisher
Scholastic Paperbacks
Published
November 1990
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

School StoriesComputers