How do I figure out what my kid should read next?

Start with what they've already loved, not their grade or Lexile number. Tell us a few books that landed and roughly how old your kid is, and you'll get specific next titles — each a real, age-right book matched to what they actually like. The whole idea is to match taste, the way a good librarian would, instead of just handing over a grade-level list.

My kid reads totally different genres — fantasy, then nonfiction, then a classic. Is that a problem?

Not at all — it's the best problem to have. A reader who happily moves from Percy Jackson to an encyclopedia to Little Women reads for the experience, not the shelf label. You don't need to pick a lane for them; just keep feeding what they actually respond to, which is what these recommendations are built to find.

What should my child read after Harry Potter or Percy Jackson?

It depends on what they loved about them — the world and its rules, the mythology, the coming-of-age, or the voice. Tell us which books have landed and you’ll get specific next titles from the Screenwise catalog, each a real WISE-scored page matched to that reader.

What should my kid read if they hate reading?

Lead with interest, not level. A kid obsessed with a “too easy” graphic novel is reading; a kid handed a “correctly leveled” book they find boring is not. Comics, joke books, audiobooks, and re-reading old favorites all count. Reluctant readers convert fastest on funny stuff, graphic novels, and high-stakes survival or mystery stories — tell us what they don’t hate and we’ll find the hook.

Should I let my kid read books above their level?

Decoding ability and content readiness are two different things. A strong 10-year-old can sound out a high-school book without being ready for what it’s about — so match the subject to the kid, then let the reading level follow. And read above their level out loud: listening comprehension runs years ahead of solo decoding, and that’s where vocabulary and a love of story actually grow.

Do I need a reading level or Lexile number to use this?

No. This matches on taste, not level — just tell us what they've read and loved. If you'd rather size books to a level, the free reading-level test and the Reading Levels page do exactly that.

How are the recommendations chosen?

Every recommendation is a real book in the Screenwise catalog with a WISE score (Wholesome, Imaginative, Safe, Enriching) and an age fit — never an invented title. We pull a pool of strongly-rated, age-appropriate books in the lanes your kid likes and match the best ones to the reader you describe.

What should they read next?

Find your kid’s next favorite book.

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Tell us a few books your kid has loved — or rate a quick handful below — and get specific next titles, each matched to what they actually like, not just their grade.

Get picks Reading tools Guides By grade FAQ

What has your kid read and loved?

Authors, series, one-offs — whatever comes to mind. The more you give us, the sharper the read.

How old are they?

Find the level. Find the book.

Each one is live and tunes to your kid — their age, their level, what they’re into. Pick the one that fits where you are right now.

Not sure where they are

Find their reading level.

A free, adaptive test that lands on a Lexile range in a few minutes — no school login, no signup. The number schools quote, without waiting for the next report card.

Take the reading test

You have a number, now what

Books for every reading level.

What a Lexile number tells you, what it absolutely doesn't, and the books worth reading from first words to reading like an adult. The number is a floor, not a verdict on whether a book is any good.

Books by reading level

Ready for big ideas

Grown-up bestsellers, readable at 11.

Sapiens, Hidden Figures, An Immense World — the best adult nonfiction has official young readers editions. Same ideas, same authors, half the length. The on-ramp for a curious kid.

See the editions

The guides parents reach for first

Solve tonight’s reading problem.

How to pick a book they'll actually finish.

Matching level and interest — and why interest wins almost every time.

From "I hate reading" to "one more chapter."

What actually reaches a kid who fights it every night.

When your kid is ready for each Harry Potter book.

The series gets darker as it goes — here’s the book-by-book read.

Screen habits that build reading, not erode it.

Audiobooks, captions, and the digital moves that help comprehension.

Curated book lists

The best books, grade by grade.

Each list spans every reader in the age — from kids still building stamina to ones flying through novels. Nudge up or down based on what they finish and love.

3rd grade.

20 picks for every reader, from still-stretching to flying.

5th grade (ages 10–11).

The books that hook this age and the ones they'll remember.

6th grade.

Meatier middle-grade reads for the jump to longer books.

The whole list.

Our best books for kids, age by age, in one place.

When the reading is on a screen

Reading apps, judged honestly.

Digital reading counts — the trick is picking one that gets read, not grazed. Start with the Epic Books deep dive, then compare the platforms.

Pillar guide

Epic Books, the full read.

The kids’ reading app with 40,000 books — what it does well, where it nudges, and how to make it actually build a reading habit.

The best storybook apps for early readers.

Which interactive reading apps are worth the screen time.

Epic vs. Kindle Kids.

Which digital reading platform earns the subscription.

Libby vs. Epic.

Free library books or the all-you-can-read buffet?

FAQ

What parents ask about kids and reading.

Real questions from real parents

Make it personal.

Take the five-minute Screenwise family survey and every book list, recommendation, and reading tool on the site tunes to your kid’s age and what they’re into.

Take the Family Survey