Many little polymaths love to listen to audiobooks or listen while you read aloud to them. But so many books that provide the right degree of depth, language and plot complexity for our gifted kids have scary or violent content or inappropriate social models. I read Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson aloud to my kindergartener and there was a scene where the family is hiding from the bad guys in their home thinking they are safe. But as the villians approach, they are able to magically enter straight through the walls to destroy the protaganist’s family home with them all still inside of it.
Step 1: Look up the Lexile for a book that was the right level for your child.
A Lexile is a measure that represents the difficulty of a book. Higher numbers followed by an “L” (like 700L) indicate more advanced reading ability or more challenging text, and lower numbers indicate easier levels. A book’s Lexile level is determined by analyzing its vocabulary and sentence complexity. Your child likely can handle a more complex Lexile level for read-alouds or audiobooks than they can for books they read to themselves.
While not every book has an assigned Lexile level, many do, and you can usually Google the name of the book and “lexile” and find the level. So, for example, The Magic Treehouse Series books are typically given a lexile in the 400s. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl has a lexile in the 800s. Find the best Lexile level for your kid to avoid books that are too simple or too advanced for enjoyment and comprehension.
Step 2: Try your Librarian.
While hit or miss, we have found a few great books this way! Our librarian recommended The Shelterlings by Sarah Beth Durst to us, which was a huge hit and resulted in us reading most of her other books as well. Come armed with a list of any books that your child has loved and ask them for recommendations that are similar!
Step 3: Consider Common Sense Media for vetting appropriate content.
We wish Common Sense Media would offer more context for their age recommendations as it is rarely accurate for kids with exceptional verbal skills, but at least most book reviews contain valuable information relating to how scary the book may be and what major content themes are included. While it may not be enough for you to be comfortable having your child listen unattended, it can give you a good idea of whether or not it might be appropriate.
Step 4: Try Lexile search engines
Try searching Lexile’s own index for books at the right level. You can also check if your library has a subscription to Novelist, which allows in depth searches and will provide similar book recommendations through the library catalog.
Step 5: Explore Goodreads lists
You may want to start with this list of the Best Read Aloud Chapter Books. Alternatively, search for a book you love and then Goodreads will show you similar titles or lists that the book has appeared on. You can then check the Lexile with a Google Search and evaluate content through Common Sense Media. Goodreads book reviews can also be a great resource for vetting content.
Step 6: Work your way through the Davidson book list.
The Davidson Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted children and young adults. Their lengthy book list features books recommended by parents and teachers of gifted kids. Many of these will also be available as audiobooks!
Happy Searching!
Stay tuned for resources on our favorite places to find and listen to audiobooks!