Tom Gates

Liz Pichon

Tom Gates

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Biscuits, Bands and Very Big Plans

by Liz Pichon

Reading Level 6 11C Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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.

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About This Book

Have you ever wondered what happens when a band of friends sneaks into a secret diary? Tom Gates and his band, DogZombies, are up to some BIG plans that include sneaky snooping and writing the next big hit song. But can Tom keep his cool, especially when Marcus is watching every move?

Themes

Friendship Humor Adventure Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

Tom Gates is a humorous middle-grade fiction book about a boy balancing school, friendships, and his band’s adventures. Suitable for ages 9-12, it features lighthearted mischief and creativity with no intense content, making it a fun and safe read for this age group.

Why we rated Tom Gates 11C

Tom Gates is written at a Level 6 reading level across 272 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Tom Gates works for readers up to grade 8.0.

We rate Tom Gates as 11C ("Clear") 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, Tom Gates explores friendship, humor, adventure, and coming of age — 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 friendship, humor, adventure.

Maybe not for

! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.

For Parents

Content Intensity

11C — Clear

Emotional

Clear

Physical

Clear

Social

Clear

Thematic

Clear

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

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Gentle" 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

Emotional Weight

Theme Richness

World Scope

Data Confidence

Liz Pichon

Level 6

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Details

Book Length

272 pages

ISBN: 9781443170604
Pages: 272
Publisher: Scholastic Canada, Limited
Published: 2019
Type: Fiction