The Children’s Book Council (CBC) has announced the first-ever “READING BEYOND” book lists, created to provide guidance to parents, caregivers, teachers, librarians, and others interested in discovering books for children who read at an advanced level and are seeking more challenging, but still age-appropriate, books.
Envisioned and created by the ALA-CBC Joint Committee, the “READING BEYOND” book lists are comprised of 25 titles in each of three categories: Kindergarten -1st graders reading at a 3rd grade level; 2nd– 3rd graders reading at a 5th grade level; and 4th– 5th graders reading at a 7th grade level.
These 75 books were chosen from over 600 submitted by publishers and librarians, initially evaluated by the ALA member librarians of the committee and then finalized by the full committee. The books were evaluated for their content as well as the challenge they would present to advanced readers, along with the consideration of a variety of genres and formats.
Susan Polos and Janet Wong, co-chairs of the ALA-CBC Joint Committee, stated: “The READING BEYOND list celebrates the power of books to lift and expand children’s minds, providing reading experiences beyond levels and limits.”
The fully annotated 2017 “READING BEYOND” list is now available for download at CBCbooks.org.
