What should you do?
Melinda Reynolds Tripp
What should you do?
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Helping Children Protect Themselves in the Twenty-first Century
by Melinda Reynolds Tripp
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
What would you do if a stranger in a car asked you for a ride while you walked home? Imagine you're just a kid on your way from school, and suddenly, a tricky situation arises. Can you figure out the safest choice before it's too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This book helps young children learn about personal safety through relatable scenarios and practical advice. It emphasizes recognizing dangerous situations, trusting instincts, and reacting confidently. Suitable for early readers aged 5-8, it offers a gentle yet important introduction to safety education without causing undue fear.
Why we rated What should you do? 8ME
What should you do? is written at a Level 3 reading level across 91 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, What should you do? works for readers up to grade 5.0.
We rate What should you do? 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Children and strangers, Crimes against children.
Thematically, What should you do? explores safety education, juvenile literature, children, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about safety education, juvenile literature, children.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
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
1/10A 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
- 9781616631406
- Pages
- 91
- Publisher
- Tate Publishing
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Nonfiction