Choosing the correct book

Helping your child find a book that is a good one for them can be tricky. The Five Finger Test is a quick way to determine the difficulty of a book. If you child finds five words that are too difficult for them on one page, then chances are the book is above their level. If your child finds no difficult words, then there is a good chance that the book is below their level. However, this does not mean the book is not appropriate. Your child can also read a page aloud to test the reading level. If he or she can read it smoothly then the book is most likely appropriate. Your child can also test the reading level by reading a page and trying to retell what happened in his or her own words. If they cannot summarize the page, the book may be above level.