Just Right Books

It depends on the level.

Learners need long stretches of time to read - at least 90 minutes a day in Just Right Books

A level C book can be read in just a few minutes. This means that a student reading for thirty minutes can get through 10+ books in that time.

A level J book like Henry and Mudge can read in 10 minutes; a level M book like Magic Tree House in 30-60 minutes and a level W book in 4 hours!

See the reference sheets below for guidance on how long it should take a child to read a book according to her level, as well as recommendations for the number of books read in a week.

Learners need access to books that allow them to do a high volume of high success reading! There is no better way to achieve this than developing a leveled classroom library and getting just right books into your kids' hands.

To achieve this do the following:

1. Make sure that each reading level has its own basket and is clearly labeled. The array of leveled books in your classroom reflects the readers in your room (i.e. if most of your readers are reading L/M/N, then the majority of books in the classroom library will be in those levels. Use the Scholastic Book Wizard below or the Quick Reference Sheet for Leveled Books to help level your library.

2. Books that are not leveled are organized by topics or genre in baskets and are clearly labeled. Genre/Topic bins should be introduced and highlighted with displays as new units of study or topics are introduced to breathe new energy into your library over the course of the year.

3. Make sure that all readers see themselves represented in your classroom library. This means that we need books at the just right levels of all children in our classroom, as well as books that speak to their interests and backgrounds. Books should be both mirrors in which our students see themselves and windows, through which they can learn about people unlike themselves. Check out the TED Talk by children's book author, Grace Lin on this topic.