The Journey to Independent Reading | Part 2: Levelling Up: Your Guide to Chapter Books

Segregation of Chapter books into levels are done for the ease of selection of the right books for your child. Children who are able to read independently can start with easy chapter books which have loads of pictures and much less text…so they get a sense of being able to complete a book without much adult help….just the feeler they need.

Chapter Books Level 1-4

The Chapter books at Level 1 are usually full of vibrant colours, illustrations and very easy-to-read text. They are great for newly independent readers who are ready to read on their own but may need some assistance from a parent for certain words.

Here are some books that fall into level 1 

1. Owl Diaries

2. Unicorn Diaries

3. Party Diaries

4. I can read level 2 and 3

5. Nate the Great

Chapter Books Level 2: These books would involve slightly longer chapters and more text than Level 1 as well as a slight increase in content considering children are getting slightly more mature in their comprehension of stories. 

Here are some level 2 Books:

1. Dragon Masters

2. A to Z Animal Mysteries

3. Hole Books like Biji’s in the Kitchen, Chumki and the Elephants, The Great Escape etc.

4. A Faraway Tree Adventure series

5. Little Women - (Usborne Young Reading series Three) 

Chapter Books Level 3: These books also have pictures and illustrations but not too many and the text is slightly more complex with longer sentences and continuity of data that matters. These books would also have more pages, numbers that usually exceed 100 with just 20% of them having pictures.

1. Magic Tree House Merlin Mission series

2. Rainbow Magic

3. A to Z Mysteries Series

4. Magic Tree House series

5. Gopi Diaries

6. The Critter Club

Chapter Books Level 4: These books are longer, usually over 120 pages, with little or no pictures and their content is also more mature. The books are not too fast paced and children usually either enjoy and move fast at this stage or kind of get stagnant and pull back. Many times you may have to go back and forth from these books as some children miss the breaks of illustrations and pictures. It's important to check if your child is enjoying this phase and discuss interests so that you can suggest the right books that your child is engrossed in, as well as keeping in mind that the subject matter of the book is of your child’s interest.

1. Boxcar children

2. Dragon Games

3. Dragon Girls

4. Tiara’s Friends

5. The Five-find outers

6. Famous Five

7. Secret seven
   

And that's the full picture! Wherever your child lands across these levels, remember there's no race. Mix, match, and move back and forth as they need. The goal was never to finish levels faster, but to raise a child who reaches for a book because they want to. Happy reading!