Recommend a read

If you've discovered a read that you think works for less confident readers and should be on Find a Read, please do let us know about it!

What types of text are you looking for?

We are looking for any text that has a readability level from Pre-Entry to Level 2 (see below). Such texts tend to use simpler vocabulary and sentences.

It can be in any format as we encourage all types of reading - printed book, ebook, game, large print, newspapers and magazines, websites and even audio!

We like to add reading material that:

is aimed at adults, as beginner readers are not beginner thinkers!
has an attractive cover
is not too long (max 200 pages if a book)
is well laid out with a clear, legible typeface (ideally minimum 12 point)
has short chapters, paragraphs (not more than ten lines) and sentences (average 15 words) and a simple structure
has a strong hook to engage the reader if fiction and high interest (eg well-known author, TV tie-in, popular hobby) if non-fiction
is text for readers, not text for learners (i.e. the focus is on reading rather than comprehension exercises).

If you're not sure whether what you want to recommend is suitable, please just send in the details anyway and we will check.

How do I recommend a read?

First search on Find a Read to make sure that the item hasn't already been submitted.

Next get together the following information: title, author, publisher, ISBN, what format it is (audio, book etc.) and a short description. But don't worry if you don't have all the details, the main information we need is the title and author or publisher.

Do a SMOG readability test on the text - this is essential as we're looking for titles that have a readability level of below 14. Find out how to do a SMOG test below.

We also ask for your name and email address so we can get in touch with you if we have any queries about the item you are submitting.

Now you can submit your read.

Once you've submitted your title, the Find a Read team checks to see if it is ok to go on to the website.

If you have any questions about recommending a read please do contact us.

How to do a SMOG test

SMOG is a Simple Measure of Gobbledygook and a formula you can use to judge the readability of a piece of text. All readability tests rely on a very rough gauge of the level of reading vocabulary people can expect to acquire by a certain point in their development - they stop generally around the 20 mark.

To calculate the SMOG level of a text:

Select a section of text (e.g. page of a book, website page etc.)
Count 10 sentences
Count the number of words which have three or more syllables
Multiply this by 3
Circle the number below closest to your answer (see table, top row)
Find the square root of the number you circled (see table, bottom row)
Add 8 = readability level

Number		1		4		9		16		25		36		49		64		81		100		121		144		169
Square route		1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		12		13

Most people will understand a readability level under about 10.

To get an average SMOG score for a text it's best to pick three sections at the beginning, middle and end (where possible). This is because readability levels can vary throughout a text.

There is no simple way of relating readability levels to adult literacy levels as they don't equate exactly. It would be impossible to produce materials that solely met the standard definitions at each level. We never take SMOG as the only indicator for the suitability of a text. However, as a rough indication, the equivalences are: