What reading level is Who Turned Off the Colors??

Who Turned Off the Colors? by Matthew K. Manning is at a Level 4-5 reading level. Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is Who Turned Off the Colors? appropriate for?

Who Turned Off the Colors? is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9C (Clear).

What genre is Who Turned Off the Colors??

Who Turned Off the Colors? is fiction — Juvenile Fiction. Part of the Xander and the Rainbow-Barfing Unicorns series.

Does Who Turned Off the Colors? have any content warnings?

Who Turned Off the Colors? has a HootRating of 9C (Clear). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Who Turned Off the Colors??

Who Turned Off the Colors? by Matthew K. Manning is 128 pages (approximately 9,523 words).

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated May 18, 2026

Who Turned Off the Colors?

Matthew K. Manning

Who Turned Off the Colors?

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Matthew K. Manning

Xander and the Rainbow-Barfing Unicorns

Reading Level 4-5 9C Ages 9-12 Balanced Read Page-Turner

The text is written at a 4th 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

When Xander catches a strange virus that sucks all the color out of his world, only Ronk, the silliest unicorn around, can help him bring the brightness back. Together, they embark on a wild, colorful adventure full of surprises and laughter. But can a clumsy unicorn save the day before everything goes gray?

Themes

Friendship Adventure Humor Fantasy World-Building

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4-5 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated Who Turned Off the Colors? 9C

Who Turned Off the Colors? is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 128 pages (approximately 9,523 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Who Turned Off the Colors? works for readers up to grade 6.5.

Read aloud, Who Turned Off the Colors? runs about 1.1 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Who Turned Off the Colors? as 9C ("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, Who Turned Off the Colors? explores friendship, adventure, humor, and fantasy world-building — 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.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, adventure, humor.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 4 more books in the Xander and the Rainbow-Barfing Unicorns series.

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.