Ugly Doodles
Valeria Wicker
Ugly Doodles
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Valeria Wicker
The text is written at a 7th 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 tried to make something perfect, only to end up with a bunch of ugly doodles? Raven Rembrandt is bursting with ideas after visiting an art museum, but her drawings just won’t turn out the way she hopes. What if those ugly doodles hold a secret that could change everything?
Quick Assessment
Ugly Doodles is a middle-grade fiction book about a young girl named Raven who struggles with self-doubt and imperfection in her art. Inspired by a museum visit, she learns to embrace creativity and overcome fear of failure through persistence and humor. Appropriate for ages 9-12, the story promotes resilience and self-expression without any concerning content.
Why we rated Ugly Doodles 12LE
Ugly Doodles is written at a Level 7 reading level across 320 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Ugly Doodles works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Ugly Doodles as 12LE ("Light — Emotional") 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, Ugly Doodles explores friendship, coming of age, family, humor, and adventure — 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, coming of age, family.
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
12LE — Light — EmotionalNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A 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
- 9780316456265
- Pages
- 320
- Publisher
- jimmy patterson
- Published
- 2020
- Type
- Fiction