How it helps
Fun on the outside. Real reading skills underneath.
Your child sees monsters, stickers and gold stars. Underneath, every question practises a reading skill they're learning at primary school, and every answer is a little bit of writing practice.
Designed by kids. Checked by primary school teachers.
What they're practising
- Reading for pleasure
- Comprehension: the six skills schools teach
- Writing in full sentences, with reasons
- Spelling, from memory
Comprehension
The six reading skills schools teach
Lots of UK primary schools teach reading comprehension as six skills, often called VIPERS. We matched all 252 questions in the app to them. Here's what each skill means, with a real question from the app.
Vocabulary
Choosing just the right words, and working out what new words mean.
From the app:
“Choose three words to describe the main character. Why did you pick each one?”
25 questions like this
Inference
Reading between the lines: working out what a character thinks or feels when the book doesn't say.
From the app:
“Was there a moment when a character was hiding how they really felt? How could you tell?”
41 questions like this
Prediction
Using clues to guess what might happen, then checking if they were right.
From the app:
“When you were halfway through, what did you think would happen at the end? Were you right?”
18 questions like this
Explanation
Giving their opinion about the book and backing it up with a reason.
From the app:
“Who was your favourite character, and why?”
83 questions like this
Retrieval
Finding facts and details in the book.
From the app:
“Who helps the main character along the way? What do they do?”
35 questions like this
Summarising
Picking out the most important parts and putting them in order, in a few sentences.
From the app:
“Summarise the story in five sentences.”
16 questions like this
Plus 34 questions just for fun, like “If you could have dinner with three characters, who would you invite? Why?” Thinking creatively about a book counts too.
Writing
Every answer needs a reason
Not knowing what to write is the hardest part of any book report. So every question comes with a hint, and if an answer doesn't give a reason, the app follows up with “And why?” and a question to help them explain.
It builds the habit teachers look for at primary school: make a point, back it up with something from the book, and explain it.
In the app:
Characters · Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Which character made the biggest mistake? What was it?
I think Augustus Gloop made the biggest mistake.
And why?
Why was that such a big mistake? What happened because of it?
Because Mr Wonka told him not to drink from the chocolate river, but he did, and he fell in and got sucked up a pipe!
Brilliant, a really detailed answer!
You choose how much they write
Just starting
about 6 to 7
Short answers are fine. A follow-up only comes when there's no reason.
Building up
about 8 to 9
Short answers get a follow-up too, even when they give a reason.
Stretch me
about 10 to 11
Every answer needs a reason and an example from the book.
Each child has their own level. Move them up whenever they're ready.
In the app:
Spelling check · Word 1 of 2
Can you spell this word?
Charlie found the Golden Ticket in his choclate bar.
…then the red word disappears ↓
Charlie found the Golden Ticket in his chocolate bar.
✓ Brilliant, that's right!
Spelling
Look, cover, write, check
It's the spelling method lots of primary schools use, turned into a game by a 9-year-old. When your child finishes a book report, any misspelt words come up one at a time, in red, in their own sentence. Then the word disappears, and they write it in the gap from memory.
They get three goes before the app shows them how it's spelled. Autocorrect is switched off, so it's real practice, and names from the book are never flagged.
Reading for pleasure
The more they enjoy it, the more they read
Schools work hard to get children reading for pleasure, because children who enjoy reading choose to read more. That's why the fun matters. Every finished book earns a gold star and a place on their bookshelf, there are monster stickers to collect, and every 10 books (or however many you set) unlocks a treat you can choose together.
Stories, fact books and magazines all count, comics too, and each kind of book gets its own questions. Story books also get one of 12 key questions that dig a little deeper.
164
Stories
questions about the plot, the characters and the big moments
53
Fact books
questions about finding information and telling a fact from an opinion
35
Magazines and comics
questions about headlines, articles and what the writers wanted you to think
What it is, and what it isn't
It is…
- A fun extra that gets children thinking and talking about what they've read
- A way to practise reading, writing and spelling at home
- Yours to keep: one payment, no subscription
It isn't…
- ✗ A replacement for your school reading log
- ✗ A test. There are no marks or scores, just gold stars for finishing books
- ✗ A tutor or a course. It's practice that feels like fun
Teachers: every question is matched to a VIPERS skill and the Key Stage 2 reading skills. Ask us for the full list of questions →
The Book Monsters circle
And it helps their school's PTA too
Soon, £5 of every qualifying £19.99 purchase will go to a participating school's PTA, at no extra cost to you. So the reading your child does at home helps their school's PTA, and their school helps them read. Round and round it goes.
- 1
Your child reads
and the monsters make it fun
- 2
They practise
the reading skills they learn at school
- 3
Their school's PTA gets £5
out of every £19.99, not on top (coming soon)
- 4
More for every child
the PTA spends it on things like new books