There are two significant types of readers who need a little extra help when choosing books: the advanced late elementary school/early middle school reader, and the reluctant high school reader. For both, concerns about proper reading level, topic interest, and maturity content are prevalent.

Maintaining an attraction to reading is important and encouragement can be found in choice. Children have their own interests and by providing them with a descriptive book list, they are empowered to make their own decisions about what to read next. The end goal is to keep them reading!

Your child’s teacher may recommend a certain reading level for future book choices. Each school may use different types of reading level measurements, but what do they all mean? This article on Scholastic.com helps explain the differences. There are books for older reluctant readers called Hi-Lo books. These books are written with higher-grade level interest/topics for older children who are at a lower reading level. These books can help reluctant readers transition to higher-grade level books when they’re ready.

Mature content is a concern of many parents whose children are reading at an advanced level. Again, a descriptive book list can help, but what if there is no list available? There are a few places to go to try to find answers if you have a book title. Common Sense Media, Scholastic Book Wizard, or Novelist K-8 may be able to give clues about a book’s maturity level and content so you can help your child decide if a book is right for him or her.

Here are a few book suggestions for both types of readers: