Reading HEROES
Whether your have a reluctant reader or a voracious reader, picking the perfect books for your child can be difficult and time-consuming. It’s sometimes difficult to know whether the books your child is reading are right for them. Are they too easy? too hard? Sometimes, it can seem as if you’ve tried everything, but nothing sticks. Your child hasn’t finished a book in months. Dozens of books sit half-read because none of them brought joy to your young reader. For others, keeping up with an avid reader can be exhausting; it seems as if they’ve already read the entire library!
Children who love to read will become strong readers if they’ve provided with high quality literature that’s appropriate for their unique needs. Students can become turned off from reading when they’re always presented with baby books that are seen as too simple, but books that are far too complex can scare a child away from reading. Books at higher levels are not written with the younger child in mind; the themes and topics can be difficult for younger children to grasp or, even worse, inappropriate. The Reading HEROES program helps you find books that meet these needs. We’ll pick out books that aren’t too easy or too hard, they’re just right. We’ll pick out books based on what your child likes, loves, and hates. From their favorite TV shows to their latest hobbies, books they’ve read (or not read!), new skills they’d like to learn, and more, we’ll pick books that your child will love.
The Reading HEROES program provides students with personalized monthly reading lists based on each child’s reading ability and interests. This program is designed for students of all levels — from those learning to read to emerging readers and “fluent readers” looking to develop college ready reading skills.
For more information on literacy, read “Literacy from Birth to Adulthood: Assessing, Tracking, and Encouraging.”

How It Works

Have Your Child’s Reading Assessed
Either bring your child to HEROES Academy or complete the assessment online! We’ll test your child’s reading level to help us determine what books are suitable for them. We’ll provide you with their current percentile ranking, their A to Z Reading Level, and their Lexile Level. This assessment takes approximately 1 hour.
*If your child has recently completed a Placement Test or Academic Evaluation at HEROES Academy OR has taken the NWEA MAP Growth Reading (s)he does not need to complete a reading assessment to start this program. Simply send us an e-mail and let us know that you’d like to enroll your child in Reading HEROES.

Enroll in Reading HEROES
Enroll your child in Reading HEROES for just $15/month. You’re free to start or stop at anytime; however, we do recommend starting the Reading HEROES program within 1 to 2 months of completing a reading assessment.

Tell Us About Your Child
Fill out our survey to tell us about your child’s interests. We want to know what your child loves, hates, wants to learn about, and more. This will help us select books that are sure to delight your young reader.

Receive Personalized Monthly Book Recommendations
Miss Danielle will provide you with access to a completely customized online reading course. We’ll upload a minimum of 25 personalized book recommendations each month for your child based on their reading level, age, and interests.

Let Us Know What You Think
At the end of each month (or as your child reads!), let us know what your child thought of the books! We’ll use this information to select new books for next month. We want to know if your child liked, loved, or even hated the books. Every piece of information helps us find books perfect for your child.

Re-Assess and Repeat
We recommend re-assessing your child’s reading level twice per year (Fall and Spring). Re-assessing your child’s reading level gives you (and us) a qualitative way to track your child’s progress. We’ll be able to tell you how much your child’s reading skills have grown and adjust our reading recommendations accordingly.