I just finished reading this to my 8,6, and 4 year olds. The 4 year old didn't really understand most of it, but the 8 and 6 year olds liked it a lot (the 8 year old read ahead on his own). It's a good bedtime book because the chapters are short. There's a lot of opportunity for the reader to YELL, and there can be some scary parts, so it appeals to the more rambunctious kids. My kids caught on surprisingly well to the idea that there are many ways to "be a hero." I thought the book did well indicating that there were many ways to be not-so-heroic also. It wasn't a brains-against-jocks as much as I'd thought.