Tournament
Herbert B. Livesey
Tournament
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Herbert B. Livesey
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be the best fisherman in the world? Imagine a fierce tournament where five anglers battle the wild seas and each other for a million-dollar prize. But with danger lurking beneath the waves, who will survive—and at what cost?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Tournament is a middle-grade fiction novel centered on a high-stakes fishing competition involving five diverse contestants. The story explores themes of competition, ambition, and survival as characters face both physical and emotional challenges. Suitable for ages 9-12, it contains some intense moments of peril and conflict but is appropriate for mature middle-grade readers.
Why we rated Tournament 12ME
Tournament is written at a Level 7 reading level across 370 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Tournament works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Tournament as 12ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Tournament explores adventure, competition, survival, and friendship — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, competition, survival.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 0385151594
- Pages
- 370
- Publisher
- Doubleday Books
- Published
- 1980
- Type
- Fiction