Frequently Asked Questions

We use advanced AI to read and analyze book content. The AI examines text across 25 content categories and compares findings against your custom thresholds. The first time a book is scanned, analysis can take up to 20 seconds. After that, results are cached so every reader gets instant answers, no longer needing to wait for analysis.

Very good but not perfect. AI can miss context or nuance, which is why we include community verification. Readers can report inaccuracies, and we aggregate feedback to continuously improve analysis quality. Think of it like Wikipedia, crowd-verified over time.

Yes, any book with an ISBN. New releases*, classics, obscure indie titles: if it has a barcode, we can analyze it. Coverage is limited only by whether book text is available (which it usually is for commercially published books).

*New releases may have limited analysis quality. See Why is there limited information for new releases? below.

This is one of our biggest strengths. Most review sites rely on human reviewers who can't keep up with the ~300,000 new books published every year in the US alone. (When BookLooks shut down, thousands of parents lost their go-to resource overnight.) Our AI analyzes on-demand, so you can scan any book with an ISBN and get a verdict. For well-established titles, the analysis quality is typically high. For very recent releases, the AI may have less information to work with, and you'll see that reflected in the Analysis Quality indicator on the verdict card.

We're complementary, not competitive. Online review sites have in-depth human reviews but limited coverage. We offer instant AI analysis on any book with 25 customizable flags and per-reader verdicts. Use both for ~$6/month if you want deep reviews + fast personalized decisions. See full comparison →

Your family information stays on your device. We never see your kids' names, ages, or reading lists. The App does not use advertising identifiers. Google Analytics loads automatically on public website pages and may receive technical and interaction data. It receives no raw or hashed form identity, educator message content, or App and family data. The website does not use advertising pixels or a consent manager. You can limit analytics with browser cookie settings, content-blocking extensions, and other browser privacy tools. Read our full Privacy Policy →

Designed for all readers, whether you're an avid adult reader or a parent of kids who read. You can set your preferences for what matters to you, or set thresholds for younger readers. The app works for picture books to novels and everything in between.

Yes. Shelf Checkout is available for iPhone on the App Store and for Android on Google Play. Visit our app page for details and download links.

We're keeping costs as low as possible so Shelf Checkout is affordable for as many readers as possible. The subscription model covers AI processing, hosting, and ongoing maintenance, which is what allows us to keep the service running reliably for everyone. You get unlimited book scans, all 25 content categories, and personalized reader profiles. No annual commitment, cancel anytime. The app is free to download, and current subscription pricing is shown in the app.

Absolutely. Teachers and homeschool educators use Shelf Checkout to vet classroom libraries and reading lists. The same subscription works for one kid or 30 students. Create profiles for different reading groups or classrooms and batch scan your entire library over summer break. Learn more for educators →

Report it! Every book has a feedback button. Tell us what the AI missed or got wrong, and we aggregate that feedback to improve future analysis. Think of it like community-verified Wikipedia. Gets better over time as more readers contribute.

Sometimes, yes. The AI needs to understand plot points to detect themes like death, divorce, or violence. If you're reading the book yourself and want to avoid spoilers, be aware that content summaries may reveal key story elements. We prioritize giving readers the info they need over spoiler-free summaries.

Our AI relies on publicly available information about a book's content. For brand new releases, there may be very little published text, reviews, or summaries available yet. This means the AI has less to work with, resulting in lower analysis quality. As more information about a book becomes available over time (reviews, discussions, summaries), the analysis quality improves. You'll see an Analysis Quality indicator on every verdict card so you always know how confident the analysis is.

Every verdict card shows an Analysis Quality indicator (High, Medium, or Low). This tells you how much information the AI had to work with when analyzing the book. High means the AI had extensive source material and the analysis is thorough. Medium means some information was available but coverage may not be complete across all 25 categories. Low means limited information was available (common with new releases or very obscure titles), so the analysis should be taken as a starting point rather than a definitive verdict. We show this so you can calibrate how much weight to give the results.