Every reader belongs to one of four age groups. The group decides what kind of book we write for your child: how long it is, how many pictures it has, whether it has chapters, and how much can happen in the story. You choose the group when you add a reader, and we never work it out from a birthday.
The four groups
These are the groups as you see them when you add a reader:
- Ages 2 to 5: "A short picture book to share aloud."
- Ages 5 to 7: "A first book to read yourself, built from sounds you know."
- Ages 7 to 9: "A first chapter book with a hook at the end of each chapter."
- Ages 9 to 12: "A longer story with subplots, and paths you can choose."
How the books differ
| What changes | Ages 2 to 5 | Ages 5 to 7 | Ages 7 to 9 | Ages 9 to 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kind of book | Picture book | Picture book | Chapter book | Chapter book |
| Books it uses from your allowance | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Length in words | 100 to 500 | 500 to 1,500 | 4,000 to 9,000 | 8,000 to 15,000 |
| Pages | 10 to 16 | 12 to 20 | 18 to 34 | 24 to 50 |
| Main pictures inside | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Up to 4 | Up to 3 |
| Chapters | None | None | 6 to 10 | 8 to 14 |
| Questions at the end | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Recorded voice | Yes | Yes | If you ask | If you ask |
A few differences need more than a number:
- Ages 2 to 5. One idea on each page, with a line that comes back again and again. Nothing frightening happens, there is no villain, and the recorded voice reads more slowly than for any other group.
- Ages 5 to 7. The book is written so that your child can sound out the words with the letter sounds they have been taught, apart from a few words learned by sight and the characters' names. You set how far they have got in phonics. This applies to stories written in English. The story can have a little mild trouble in it, such as a falling-out between friends.
- Ages 7 to 9. Short chapters, each ending on a question your child will want answered. The story can have more at stake, and the humor starts to include wordplay.
- Ages 9 to 12. Longer stories with a subplot, and places where your child chooses what happens next. Both paths are worth taking and both lead back to the main story.
Every book also has a cover. A chapter book can have small extra pictures too, at the start of some chapters or beside a choice, when the book has room for them.
For the two youngest groups, a recorded voice is made with each book. For the two older groups, you can have a chapter book read aloud, once, for 1 book from your allowance; Having a chapter book read aloud explains how.
Every book is also checked for what suits its age group, whatever the group. You can add your own limits on top; see Topics to leave out.
Choosing a group
Pick the group that matches how your child reads today, while keeping in mind that the group also decides what happens in the story. A child who reads well ahead of their age is still that age, and a story written for older children may have more at stake than suits them.
As a rough guide:
- A child who is read to, and follows the pictures, suits Ages 2 to 5.
- A child who is starting to sound out words suits Ages 5 to 7.
- A child who reads short sentences on their own and is ready for chapters suits Ages 7 to 9.
- A confident reader who enjoys longer stories suits Ages 9 to 12.
We keep the age group rather than a date of birth. The month of their birthday is optional, and only the month is kept; Moving to another age group says what we use it for. If you tell us when they turn thirteen, we keep that one date for the reason explained in When your child turns thirteen.
Changing the group later
A reader's group is not changed from their Settings page, and there is no list to pick a new one from. It moves from their Progress page, after a reading check or a suggestion that you accept, and Moving a reader to another age group walks through both. Books already made stay as they are; the new group applies to books made from then on.
If you are adding your first reader, Adding your first reader covers the other choices on that page.