Book band Age School yearEngland / Scotland

ORT level

Pink 4 – 5 Reception / Primary 1 1 / 1+

Red 4 – 5 Reception / Primary 1 2

Yellow 5 – 6 Year 1 / Primary 2 3

Blue 5 – 6 Year 1 / Primary 2 4

Green 5 – 6 Year 1 / Primary 2 5

Orange 6 – 7 Year 2 / Primary 3 6

Turquoise 6 – 7 Year 2 / Primary 3 7

Purple 6 – 7 Year 2 / Primary 3 8

Gold 6 – 7 Year 2 / Primary 3 9

White 6 – 7 Year 2 / Primary 3 10

Lime 6 – 7 Year 2 / Primary 3 11

Obviously this chart can only give a rough idea of the right level for your child. There will be a wide range of reading abilities in any school year. To help you choose the right level for your child, talk to their teacher, or have a look at these sample pages of books at different levels. As a rough guide, children should be able to read at least 90% of the words on the page without any problem. If the book is too easy, they can become bored. If it’s too difficult, they can become frustrated, and may have to concentrate so hard on reading the words that they lose the enjoyment of understanding the story.

All you need to know about levelled reading books

Once your child has mastered the basics of phonics, a whole world of reading starts to open up to them! They benefit hugely from books which gradually introduce new words and sentence structures, helping them to progress steadily and surely. That’s where levelled reading books come in.

The Star reading books are levelled according to a system used in most UK Primary schools, called ‘book bands’. There are eleven book bands, and the chart below shows which book bands are appropriate for children of different ages, and also how they match Oxford Reading Tree, a reading scheme used in many Primary schools:

Abracadabra sample page from

Pink Level Pack

Bedtime for Bear sample page from

Red Level Pack

Furball to the Rescue sample page from

Yellow Level Pack

Brother Love sample page from

Blue Level Pack

How Moon Tricked Sun sample page from

Green Level Pack

Why Islands Don’t Swim sample page from

Orange Level Pack

Scruff sample page from

Turquoise Level Pack

The Nutcracker sample page from

Purple Level Pack

Sharks sample page from

Gold Level Pack

Hairem Scarem sample page from

White Level Pack

Your Body Up Close sample page from

Lime Level Pack

Treasure Island 9780433166238

Read the adventures from Clinker Castle and Pirate Cove – Reception to Year 2

The Reading section of our store also includes some sets of Clinker Castle and Pirate Cove books. These are fun books set in a medieval castle and on a pirate ship, and are sold in year packs, rather than by book bands, so that your child can follow the adventures of the characters as their reading improves.

Pirate Cove: Treasure Island sample page from

Reception Level Pack

Clinker Castle: Catch a Dragon sample page from Year 1 Pack

Pirate Cove: Bones the Sea Dog sample page from Year 2 Pack

Pirate Cove: Catch a Dragon sample page from

Year 1 Pack

Pirate Cove: Bones the Sea Dog sample page from

Year 2 Pack

Clinker Castle: Catch a Dragon sample page from Year 1 Pack

Scruff9780433034568See which reading level is best for your

child – Year 3 to Year 6

Once your child is in Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6, or Primary 4 to 7 in Scotland), their reading level may be beyond the book band levels. For this reason, the books for older children – Pocket Reads – are levelled more loosely by school year, rather than by book bands. Again, have a look at these sample pages to help decide which pack is right for your child:

Gurgle sample page from Year 3 Pack

Gurgle sample page from

Year 3 Pack

Clinker Castle: Catch a Dragon sample page from Year 1 Pack

The Wailing Rock sample page from

Year 4 Pack

Cyclops and the Green Beans sample page from

Year 5 Pack

Mobile Fear sample page from Year 6 Pack

Clinker Castle: Catch a Dragon sample page from Year 1 Pack

Mobile Fear sample page from

Year 6 Pack