Trust Your Name
Tim Tingle
Trust Your Name
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Tim Tingle
The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Bobby and his Choctaw basketball team have more than just their skills on the court—they have the powerful panther spirit watching over them. But when unfair taunts and tough challenges try to knock them down, can they stay strong and prove what really matters? The real game isn't just about points; it's about trust and standing up for what's right.
Quick Assessment
This story follows a group of Choctaw youth basketball players who face both competition and racial prejudice during a summer league culminating in a national tournament. It explores themes of community, trust, and resilience in the face of adversity, suitable for early readers aged 5-8. Parents should note the inclusion of bullying and racial discrimination topics handled in an age-appropriate manner.
Why we rated Trust Your Name 8ME
Trust Your Name is written at a Level 3 reading level across 81 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Trust Your Name works for readers up to grade 5.0.
We rate Trust Your Name as 8ME ("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, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Racial Discrimination, Bullying.
Thematically, Trust Your Name explores friendship, sports, social justice, and multicultural — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, sports, social justice.
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
8ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
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
6/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781939053800
- Pages
- 81
- Publisher
- Book Publishing Company
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction