{"id":2176,"date":"2024-05-22T13:40:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T13:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.scholastic.ca\/scholasticblog\/?p=2176"},"modified":"2025-11-03T17:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T17:46:17","slug":"how-to-determine-the-reading-level-of-a-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.scholastic.ca\/scholasticblog\/2024\/05\/22\/how-to-determine-the-reading-level-of-a-book\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Determine the Reading Level of a Book"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When practicing reading with your striving reader or maintaining a reading routine with your voracious reader, book levels can be tremendously helpful in figuring out the right match for your child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professionals are trained to determine the reading level of a book and take many factors into consideration \u2014 think sentence length, number of illustrations, and even word repetition. As a parent, there are a number of ways you can determine how difficult a book will be for your child. That may include looking for a book’s predetermined level or thinking about other factors that may play a role in your child’s understanding of the story (more on that below). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your child\u2019s reading level will often be determined by their teacher through an assessment in the beginning of the year. Sometimes you\u2019ll find the reading level of a book displayed on the book jacket. You can also easily find the reading level of a book at Scholastic Book Clubs \u2014 Simply refer to the \u201cProduct Details\u201d section of any product page to find relevant information for several leveling systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few more savvy tricks that will help you determine if a book is the appropriate level for your child. We spoke with Adria Klein, PhD, co-creator of the Scholastic Edge reading program and professor emerita of reading education at California State University San Bernardino, about what factors to consider when looking at books for your child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that your child will progress at their own pace, but they can be best supported at home by being surrounded by books they want to read. The more they read, the more they’ll practice \u2014 which will continue to strengthen their skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Text Structure<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Text structure is an often overlooked aspect that can determine the difficulty of a book. \u201cYou will want to look at text structure,\u201d says Klein. \u201cAre there captions? Are there definitions? Is there an index? Is there a layout that\u2019s difficult?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text structure can mean various things in fiction and informational text. Unique layouts \u2014 like twirling the text around the page \u2014 can actually make things more difficult for a reader to comprehend, and can add to the difficulty of a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cParents should be aware of text structure and features,\u201d says Klein. \u201cFor instance, how the book is written, how long the chapters are, and how many different demands are on the reader.\u201d The more difficult the layout and structures are, the more likely children are to miss essential information (such as captions) if they\u2019re unfamiliar with them or don\u2019t have the necessary background knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Content and Theme<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The next thing you should keep an eye out for is the content and theme of books. \u201cTake into consideration, are the big ideas too much beyond the age range?\u201d says Klein. \u201cContent, theme, and language play big roles. One example is the simile, \u2018A cloud is like a cotton ball.\u2019\u201d When the words are simple, it can become substantially more difficult to determine levels because of the use of simile, a more complex (and abstract) reading device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Complex Sentences<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

How sentences are structured can also make a huge difference in the way children read. The who\/what\/when\/where\/why\/how can make all the difference in complexity and comprehension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen sentences are flipped, it makes the book more complex,\u201d says Klein. For example, each of the below sentences are of varying levels of difficulty: <\/p>\n\n\n\n