What is a graded reader?

Whether you're an experienced writer or a newbie, you may be wondering what a graded reader is.

They are books that are written or adapted for language learners. Graded readers help people read and enjoy the language they're learning. This is important because reading at the appropriate level helps language learners to revise and reinforce grammar and to learn new vocabulary in context.

Graded readers are written at different levels for both children and adults. The number of levels can vary with different publishers but there are normally between five and ten levels which you can compare to the Common European Framework of Reference. They range from A1 (beginner) to C2 (advanced). These books put a lot of emphasis on the pleasure of reading, rather than on the study of the language, much in the same way as you would read a book in your native language. This process is called extensive reading, which we'll have a look at in a later article.

What sorts of graded readers are there?

Graded readers can be original stories, also called learner literature, commissioned by educational publishers and written by authors like you. They can also be adapted versions of existing books, often classics like Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera or more contemporary books written by writers like Stephen King or John Grisham. There are also non-fiction graded readers which focus on biographies of famous people or interesting topics like unsolved mysteries in the world.

Although the focus of graded readers is to supply language learners with interesting books to read at their level, a lot of these books have exercises at the end to check comprehension, or glossaries to explain difficult vocabulary. Many teachers use graded readers in the classroom and a lot of schools and universities stock them in their libraries.

Why should you write a graded reader?

As a writer, you should always be on the lookout for potential projects. Writing graded readers is a specialised skill that presents its own challenges but can be very rewarding. And, the best thing about writing these books is that there aren't a lot of writers of graded readers out there! If you have a background in teaching foreign languages, you may be the perfect candidate for writing a graded reader. Combine that experience with skills like patience, ingenuity and attention to detail and publishers will not only enjoy working with you, but they may even keep you on their list of authors to contact for their next series instead of looking for new authors.

Graded readers can be contemporary, historical, funny, serious, fantastic, factual – you name it. Whatever your genre, be it mystery, romance, adventure or classic, there will be a language learner who will want to read it in their new language.

In the next article on writing graded readers, we'll have a look at preparing yourself to sit down and write a graded reader - the type of story you want to write and the intended audience.