With friends like these
ReShonda Tate Billingsley
With friends like these
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
The text is written at a 6th 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
Friendship isn't always what it seems when four best friends compete for the same spot on a TV talk show. Secrets, lies, and fierce competition bubble up, challenging everything they thought they knew about each other. Can they win without losing what really matters?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction novel explores the complexities of friendship within a Christian youth group as four girls compete for a coveted television hosting role. It addresses themes of honesty, loyalty, and the consequences of rivalry, making it appropriate for readers ages 9-12. Parents should note the story includes interpersonal conflicts and moral lessons tied to faith and community values.
Why we rated With friends like these 11LE
With friends like these is written at a Level 6 reading level across 220 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, With friends like these works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate With friends like these as 11LE ("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, With friends like these explores friendship, christian life, interpersonal relations, multicultural, and coming of age — 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 friendship, christian life, interpersonal relations.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A 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
- 9781416525622
- Pages
- 220
- Publisher
- Gallery Books
- Published
- 2007
- Type
- Fiction