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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Is This Book Age Appropriate? How to Find Out
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!
*This blog participates in affiliate partnerships. If you make a purchase using one of our links, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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27 COMMENTS
ericarobyn
6 years agoAwesome post!! I will definitely be passing this on to a few of my mom friends! 🙂 I definitely agree that parents need to be careful! The best way is to flip through and see what is going on for yourself. For example, I just re-read The Stinky Cheese Man… that book is recommended for Age Range: 3 – 7 years. There is NO WAY I would let a kid under 5 or 6 read that one. It’s a bit violent and the last page is terrifying!
Erica | Erica Robyn Reads
Dena at Batch of Books
6 years ago AUTHORIt’s so true. Everyone is different and every family has to decide what they feel comfortable with.
Mar
3 years agoI just listened to it… poor stinky cheese man. 😦 I can’t imagine reading this to my kinder niece.
Marilyn Acevedo
5 years agoI love Compass book ratings. They break down a book content very thoroughly.
Dena at Batch of Books
5 years ago AUTHORGreat suggestion! Thanks for mentioning it!
MA
5 years agoamazon does not show this information for most any book I can see with kindle. I’m looking everywhere..it’s either not there or it’s been removed….I’m so frustrated as one of my kids likes fantasy books and I have no idea what level the books are….help!
Dena at Batch of Books
5 years ago AUTHORYou’re right, most publishers don’t offer this information on the Kindle versions of their books. It’s frustrating! But if you look at the paperback or hardcover editions, you can usually find the information you need. If you’re looking for fantasy, check out these two reading lists:
Magical Fantasy Books for 5th Graders (give or take a year or two)
Fantastic Fantasy Books for Kids Ages 9-12
tryn
3 years agoIt’s funny you say Amazon is mostly good at this when all the bad books I’ve found that claim to be for kids but have things like heads getting removed and fountains of squirting blood (real example “wings of fire” its called) were on amazon with NONE of this disclosed on the page. Only to be found out after buying or scouring the bad reviews.
Dena at Batch of Books
3 years ago AUTHORHi Tryn, yes, Amazon is an excellent resource for finding age recommendations and categories, but you’re right—unless you read the book yourself or comb through reviews, you won’t find specific information about objectionable content. I always recommend that parents read a book before handing it off to their kids because everyone is comfortable with different things.
Shirley Jensen
5 years agoTrying to find out if Patch of Trouble, by Elizabeth Craig, would be appropriate for a 13-year old advanced reader.
Shirley Jensen
5 years agoTrying to find out if Patch of Trouble, by Elizabeth Craig, is appropriate for a 13-year old female – advanced reader.
Dena at Batch of Books
5 years ago AUTHORThat’s a cozy mystery written for adults. In my experience, most cozy mysteries are appropriate for teenagers, but you should read some reviews on Goodreads or Amazon to make sure. If nothing else, you can always read the book before handing it off to your teen. Good luck!
Corey Redder
4 years agoHi! First, this is a great page! I Stumbled upon it while trying to see if the HALO book series (based on the video games) is appropriate for my 10yr old Son. I have been scouring the internet and can’t seem to find appropriate content ratings. HELP!!!
Dena at Batch of Books
4 years ago AUTHORHi Corey, If you’re talking about the series by Eric Nylund, those books were written for an adult audience. I’ve never read them, but books for grownups are usually too long and too complex for a 10-year-old. If your son likes books based on video games, try Minecraft: The Island or Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior. My kids really enjoyed those.
LJ
4 years agoBad idea to trust Amazon’s age ratings!
Dena at Batch of Books
4 years ago AUTHORHi LJ, it’s true, the age ratings that publishers list on Amazon are not always accurate. You can always use one of the other methods I listed to cross check any age ratings you find on Amazon.
Breanne
2 years agoI’m trying to find books for a kid whose lexile level and age are widely disparate.
She’s 9, so I don’t want to give her anything wildly scary or mature.
But I also want to find her stuff that will challenge her, and her lexile range is 1300-1450 ish, or about a 10th-12th grade level.
I’ve skimmed through my own bookshelves, and found a few good options, but I’d love to find a tool that quantifies content and age-appropriateness in some way, the way lexile does for difficulty.
bellatrixi77
3 years agoI just wanted to know if the books of the series ‘A Miranda Rights Mystery’ is age appropriate for ages 14+
Dena at Batch of Books
3 years ago AUTHORIt looks like those books were written for adult readers, but that doesn’t automatically disqualify them for teenagers. Read a few reviews on Goodreads or Amazon to see what other people are saying. That can usually give you a good idea of what to expect.
Nnelk
3 years agoHi do you happen to know if the thieves of Ostia suitable for a 7 years old? It’s by Caroline Lawrence
My girl took it in school and I feel bad that she’s reading it
Dena at Batch of Books
3 years ago AUTHORHi Nnelk, it looks like the publisher recommends it for ages 10 and up. The most important thing to decide is if your daughter can understand what’s happening in the story, and if you’re comfortable with the content. If you haven’t read the book yet, I’d suggest you start with that. Maybe read it out loud to your daughter. That will help with comprehension, and if you decide it’s too much for your child, you can always set it aside.