Age guidance method

Use age bands with the details behind them

Publisher bands, attributed ratings, reading measures, and content notes answer different questions. Use them together, then apply the facts to one reader.

Start with these resources

Series example

Harry Potter Parent Guide

See attributed ratings change from Book 1 through Book 7.

Edition example

Percy Jackson Parent Guide

Compare publisher age bands attached to specific editions.

Publisher bands

Hunger Games Parent Guide

Review a five book series with age and grade records.

New Adult

Fourth Wing Parent Guide

Compare publisher classification with attributed ratings and content.

Method

Book Content Flags

Understand the categories and intensity behind a result.

Product

Shelf Checkout App

See how book details connect with one reader's settings.

Related guide hubs

Start with the age facts that exist

Scholastic lists Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at ages 8+. Disney Books lists one Lightning Thief edition at ages 9-12. Red Tower Books identifies Fourth Wing as New Adult and Fantasy. These are attributed publisher records, not Shelf Checkout ratings.

Common Sense Media says its Harry Potter ratings move from 8+ for Book 1 to 12+ for Book 7. That progression belongs to the reviewer that issued it and shows why one series may not have one useful number.

Reading difficulty answers a different question

MetaMetrics explains in its Lexile guidance that a learner measure describes reading ability and a text measure describes text complexity. A text measure does not identify the content categories inside a story.

A publisher band, a reading measure, and a content note can all be accurate while answering different questions. Keep the exact edition attached to each record because editions can carry different metadata.

Then look at what is in the book

The content flags guide explains how Shelf Checkout records category and intensity without issuing its own age rating. Categories include violence, language, romance, substances, fear, death, grief, and psychological themes.

The linked Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, and Fourth Wing guides show the method on real series. Each one keeps publisher facts, attributed review ratings, and content notes connected to the source that supplied them.

Finish with one reader

Age information narrows the question. A reader's selected sensitivities determine which categories matter for that reader. Two readers can use the same factual book record and reach different results because their settings are different.

The Shelf Checkout app connects the book content profile with the sensitivity settings selected for an individual reader. The result is reader specific, not a universal claim about what every family should choose.

Download Shelf Checkout

Free on iPhone and Android. Scan a book and see what's inside.