Willie & me
Dan Gutman
Willie & me
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
a baseball card adventure
by Dan Gutman
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 mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
What if you could change one of baseball's most famous moments? Stosh thought his time-traveling days were over, until a legendary pitcher shows up needing help to fix a game that changed history. But saving the past might mean changing the future — and the fate of a young Willie Mays hangs in the balance.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction adventure blends baseball history with time travel as Stosh helps legendary players from the 1950s. The story includes historical facts and photos, providing an engaging way for kids ages 9-12 to learn about baseball's iconic moments while exploring themes of consequences and moral choices. It is appropriate for this age group with mild tension around historical events but no graphic content.
Why we rated Willie & me 9LE
Willie & me is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 157 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Willie & me works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Willie & me as 9LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Willie & me explores baseball, historical, adventure, coming of age, 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 baseball, historical, adventure.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780061704048
- Pages
- 157
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction