Here at Ink Spells, I’ve tried to give parents some content guidelines to help in choosing books for their kids. Even so, finding good books is a constant challenge as my kids are always reading faster than I can keep up. There’s three of them after all; it’s hardly fair.
Usually I check the AR guide first, to see what the “target” audience for the book is: publishers develop these targets so that booksellers (and parents) will know the intended audience for the book (MG=grades3-8, MG+=6 grade+, UG=grades 9-12). I also check Common Sense Media, which has book reviews for many popular books and has very detailed content descriptions. Of course, if I’ve reviewed the book, you can find guidance here, plus I’ve assembled some middle grade and young adult book lists (and even some for the wee ones) with some rough content guidelines where available. There’s also Reading Teen, with lots of reviews of young adult books with content guidelines.
In looking for other strategies for finding books, I came across this article from Parent Magazine about choosing books for advanced readers, and thought it had some really great tips, including this:
Many advanced readers are gifted in other subjects and may feel isolated or different from other children their age. Books about real-life geniuses and exceptional children, such as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl; Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein; or Beware, Princess Elizabeth are great choices for your child. Novels about kids who are different will speak to him and help guide him as he grows.
Another great post over at The Book Club Guide had similar ideas, along with this wonderful snippet:
Will reading a book that is not age appropriate damage a child for life? I doubt it. Will reading a steady diet of books that are not age appropriate influence a child’s social and emotional development and way of seeing the world? I imagine so.
It’s funny. I’ve found that once a child gets a taste for books that are beyond them in terms of content, it’s difficult to pull them back to something more age appropriate, because the child often views these titles as “babyish” even when they are not. Once they head in that direction, it’s hard to go back again. Childhood is short enough as it is, I think.
This thoughtful post was made by a teacher after my own heart, who has her own blog with reviews for both middle grade and young adult books called Shelf Elf. I like her emphasis on not just protecting the innocence of youth, but realizing that even advanced reading children are often only able to understand and absorb concepts that are appropriate for their age. This is why it’s so important to know your kids, know what they’re reading, and help guide them to books appropriate for their age: there’s a right time (and age) for every kid to learn about all the good (and bad) things in the world.
As always, your teacher and librarian are great resources for finding books the next time that young one comes to you and says, “Mom, I’m out of books again.”
Happy Weekend!
Looking for the 'real life' aspect is a great point. Nice links, Susan. Enjoy your weekend, too!
Great post! I have an almost 6-year-old who reads at a middle-grade level (yikes!), so I struggle with this a lot. Finding things that will challenge her but are still appropriate for a kindergarten kid is tricky.
I like the suggestion about finding books about kids who are different!
Shelagh @ KinderScares
Oh I wish I had that problem, my kids complaining about being out of book again! My oldest is almost 9 years old, and hates to pick up a book – though once she gets started sometimes she'll read longer than the 1 chapter a day that I ask her too. Maybe I spoiled her with t0o much reading out-loud? (because I love to read so much, that's my primary activity with my kids, ages 8,6, and 3 year old twins – reading to them).
At any rate I still thought this was a helpful post and I'll be checking out the links.
Thanks for the suggestions.
You're right. I remember being too young for the YA section, but ready for those books because the others seemed babyish.
If only people worried as much about what was on TV, movies, and the Internet compared with books. I always know what my 11-year-old son is reading. Now that he reads at an adult level, I know he can read anything, but he shouldn't. But books, even with more "adult" content often make the reader ask questions. Can't always say the same for TV, movies, and the Internet.
Happy weekend to you too! These are some great references–thanks.
I really struggled to find books at my level as a 8-11 year old. I was a fast reader and mature for my age. So it's hard, because there is a spectrum. My daughter (7 yo) is barely into chapter books while my friend's daughter (same age) is reading (and understanding) books written for 12 year olds. It makes for scary content issues plus frustrates me when I have agents tell me my MG is too "smart" for ten year olds and too clean for 12 year olds.
@salarsen Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
@Kinderscares Check out my Wee Ones suggestions on the side bar! I have SO been there, my friend!
@Margo I might need to do another post about reluctant readers. Don't stop reading to those little ones! It's the best way to get them to love it. And one day, the light will go on, and they'll be reading like mad.
@Teresa I'm so with you about the other media exposure! We talk mostly about books here, but I could go on and on and on about movies/TV/web stuff for kids. Somehow it's easier with the visual media – there's more guides and I can almost immediately tell when something's not appropriate, but with books there's less info and it's very hard to just look at a book and say yes or no. Hmm…sounds like another post! 🙂
@Jackee I think agents and publishers have a hard time getting a handle on the tween market, too. And yet, the most common complaint I hear from parents is that there's not enough good books for the MG shelves (it's either Captain Underpants or Twilight, with nothing in between). That's an exaggeration, but I think there is a lot of untapped potential in that market.
This is a fantastic post, Susan. We address things like this often enough. Great suggestions and resources!!
Have a good weekend. 🙂
I love using Common Sense Media, even though I am the teen. I'd like to point out that AR is not actually that accurate. For example: They gave Shiver a 4.9 grade level average, even though it's target audience is high school. They only look at the quantity of the writing and how big the book is and how advanced the actual writing is, not the content. And then they try to down the grade level a few grades lower than it should be, even by their standards, so that the people with lower grade levels then their own, like high schoolers with a 5th grade reading level, can read books at the level that they should be at. I don't mean to be mean or anything by saying this, I just want to help.
But I do love Common Sense and your lists are pretty useful and they look fantastic!
@Anne Thanks for stopping by! I agree, the AR reading levels are based on vocabulary, not content. AR also gives the "interest level" (or IL) in terms of what audience they think the book appeals to. For example Shiver has an IL of UG or "Upper Grades" which means grades 9-12, which is approximately correct for content. Sadly, I think a lot of teen books have very low reading levels, and I'm not sure why this is. Do you have any theories? It seems as though they underestimate what teens can (and will) read, especially the ones that love books!
I'm glad you like the lists! I enjoy your Potter, Percy and I blog! (I don't always comment, but I peek over there to see what you're blogging about)
I can't believe I just found this site! What a great resource! Thanks for the lists.
@Elana I'm glad you found Ink Spells! There's lots of stuff here, and my most thoughtful commenters always have interesting things to say too!
Yeah, my eleven-year-old wants to read in the YA section, but she's not ready for some of that stuff yet. She picked out one the other day that I wish she hadn't, but I guess it's good that we're both reading them and talking about issues that may come up in her life eventually.
@Myrna Reading with the munchkin is the best, if you can manage it. The folks at Reading Teen have a lot of reviews that can help too! One thing that I've found helps with my kids is to have that "independent source" (in this case Common Sense Media) that gives guidance. This applies mostly to movies, but books and games too. The kiddos will come to me and say, "Mom, go check it out on Common Sense Media and let me know if I can watch it!" Granted, this may wear off as they approach teenagehood.
Thanks for the links to these other resources. I think Myrna touched on something important, too. Even if your child reads something that you don't think is age appropriate, talking about it with them is the best thing to do. We can't protect them from everything they read, watch or hear, but we can share our viewpoints on the things that they're exposed to.
@Sherrie I agree! I would even say especially if your child reads something that disturbs you (it may or may not disturb them), it's important to talk to them about it and help them process it. 🙂
I disagree with the notion that advanced readers should be encouraged to read "age appropriate" material because "childhood is short enough as it is". Having been a child myself, I see no reason to romanticize it, or to think that it's too short. If anything, I think my childhood was entirely too long, and reading books that weren't age-appropriate helped make my childhood a little more bearable.
@Matthew Different parents have different styles and beliefs, which is why you (and every parent) should raise your children the way you think best. And what works for one child, even in the same family, will not work for all. For those who want to keep the ugliness of the world at bay for a little longer for their children, these tools will help them do that in a way that still gives them great things to read.
When I set up the AR program in our international school library I too was challenged with finding enough really advanced texts. To get really vocabulary stretching books I often had to suggest the old classics to kids (which isn't a bad thing). I know I could cope with Jane Austen at 12/13 and several of our students can too.
Very helpful lists, Susan.
Fair enough, Ms. Quinn. I don't have children myself, but I remember from my own childhood that even if our parents try to protect us from the ugliness of the world, we find out anyway. We learn about it at school, you see. 🙂
@Joanna It is a challenge! I think non-fiction is a great service there. And a story doesn't have to challenge the vocabulary to challenge the mind. 🙂
@Matthew You may feel differently when you have your own little ones. My kids are in public school, so I know they see ugliness there – and we definitely talk about the ugliness there is in the world. But there's a difference between knowing something and being immersed in it. The fact that you're already thinking about it makes me think you'll make a great dad when you get there! 🙂
This is pretty old, but I'll respond to it anyway. I was one of the kids described at the end, the one who got attached to reading adult fiction around ten or so. From that point on, I always judged the books we got in school, thinking that the other reading group got the smart kid books and I got the lower reading group. Whether that was true, I don't know, but it frustrated me to no end. It is definitely hard to push a kid who is used to reading even young adult fiction to read at their reading level.