Anytime my kids come home with a book I’ve never heard of before, I always wonder, is this book age-appropriate? I’m happy that my girls love reading, but I also want to know what’s in the books they devour.
Books don’t come with ratings the way movies do. Publishers don’t list the objectionable content on the back of the book, in the copyright statement, or even on their website. Some books will include an age recommendation on the inside front jacket flap, but that’s rare.
Often, you’ll find the lines between middle grade books (ages 9-12), young adult books (ages 12-18), and adult books become blurry. You might find YA books shelved in the middle grade section of the library or discover that many young adult books are really just adult books in disguise.
Why Does it Need to be Age Appropriate?
A book should appeal to a particular age group. But it also needs to be the right length, have the right vocabulary, and contain the level of content kids are emotionally ready for. If one or more of these factors are wrong, children will put the book down. Presented with that scenario too many times and kids will decide they don’t like reading.
So, how do I find out if a book is age-appropriate for my child? Is my four-year-old ready for Harry Potter? When should my daughter read Twilight? And how do I find out what’s in a book that my child was assigned at school?
In this post, I’m going to show you how I find age and content information about my children’s middle grade and young adult books. Once you know what’s in a book, it’s easier to decide if you should download it to your kid’s new tablet or skip it altogether.
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Look on Amazon
Amazon is probably the easiest place to find age and content information for children’s and young adult books. Here’s how to do it:
- Search for and find the book you’re interested in.
- On the book’s sales page, select either the hardcover or paperback edition.
- Scroll down until you see the “Product Details” section.
- You’ll find age range, grade level, page count, Lexile measure (reading difficulty), average rating, and category information.
Just from this sales page, I can find out a wealth of information and make a pretty good assessment of the book.
Amazon Reviews
People who have read the book will sometimes leave a review. Some of these reviewers will include content information, but most won’t. You may have to read a few (or several) reviews to get a feel for it.
Goodreads Reviews
Goodreads is THE place for book lovers of all sorts. You can find reviews, groups, lists, and chats dedicated to all things bookish. Spend some time poking around the site and reading reviews from other parents or book lovers to find out if a book is age-appropriate.
Publisher’s Websites
Publisher’s websites can be hit or miss with this information, but the big publishers usually categorize their books into age groups. For example, on the Random House Children’s Books website, you can select which age group you’re interested in and it will show you books they think are age-appropriate for that group.
Common Sense Media
This is a website dedicated to reviewing and rating books and movies. If they’ve reviewed the book you’re researching, they will give you a recommended age, a star rating, and list everything parents need to know about the book. For a good example, check out their review of The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA.
This Website
I list content information for the books I read on this site. If you use the “Books by Age” tab in the top navigation bar, you can find books and book lists for all different age groups. You can also search for a specific book or topic by using the search box in the sidebar.
Books I’ve read will have a “Content advisory” listed in the description or review. This is great if you don’t have a specific book in mind and want to find some new and interesting books for your child (or yourself).
Epic
Epic doesn’t list content information, but they do filter all their books by your child’s age and reading interests. You put in your child’s age and specify which genres they like to read. Then, when your child logs into Epic, it will only show them books that fit the parameters you’ve set. Their books are all for kids ages 12 and under. If you have a teen, you’ll need to use one of the other methods mentioned above.
Read the Book
If the other methods I mentioned don’t pan out, you’re left with only one option. Read the book yourself and decide if it’s appropriate for your kid. Since everyone feels different about what is appropriate, this is the best way to determine if a book is right for your kid.
Now you know all my tips and tricks for finding out what is in a book before you buy it. The next time you ask yourself, is this book age-appropriate? you’ll know where to go to find out.
Finding age-appropriate books for kids can be challenging (especially for teenagers), but it’s possible. With a little time and determination, you can find everything you need to make an informed decision.
Do you have any hacks I don’t know about? Let me know in the comments!
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