How do I determine a books reading level? Does the Library of Congress assign reading levels to books?
There is no central body that assigns books a reading level. Often, a book’s reading level is determined by book publishers or by those with certain expertise such as reading/education specialists, young adult librarians, and school media specialists. In addition, there are many different standardized methods, often known as leveling systems, for determining the reading level of a book. For an introduction to leveling systems, see Linda Cornwell’s “Nuts and Bolts of Book Leveling.” An overview of several of the most popular leveling systems is Ruth Manna’s “Leveled Reading Systems: Unraveling the Mystery.” Additional articles on leveled reading are available on the Scholastic Web site. The Library of Congress does not endorse or apply a leveling system or any other method of assigning a reading level to books in its collections*; it defers to those who are experts in this area. Occasionally, the Library’s online catalog records will include a link to a publisher’s description of a book
