Finding the right books

How do I find books at my child's reading level?

Use the five-finger test: have your child read a page aloud and hold up a finger for each word they cannot read, where zero or one is easy, two or three is about right, and four or more is too hard for now. Then mix easy books for fun with a few that stretch them.

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Beginners need decodable books

A child still learning phonics does best with books that use the sounds they know. If they have just learned silent e, look for books with words like cake and ride, not a book full of patterns they have not met.

After a favorite series

Ask a librarian for the next step up, or more by the same author. Rereading easy books builds speed and confidence, so let them.

Where Clareza fits

For K-2, the parent dashboard has a reading placement check: five sets of word cards your child reads aloud while you count, which shows which sounds are solid. The last task of the phonics course is reading the start of any real book in your house.

What Clareza does not do here

  • Clareza does not level books, give book lists or supply full books.
  • The placement check suggests where to start in the course. It is not a reading level score.
  • From Grade 3, lessons use short passages and excerpts, not whole books.

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Before your child starts: what we collect and why

We collect only what it takes to teach your child: the first name and sign-in you choose, their answers and progress, and their chat with Clara (written by Anthropic's AI, read aloud by OpenAI). Nobody trains AI on it or sells it, and you can see or delete it any time. You create your child's account yourself. Paying by card is how you give consent.

Read what we collect and why

Your consent is needed before we collect anything from your child, and we collect nothing without it. You create your child's account yourself; they never sign up alone.

  • What we collect from your child: the first name and sign-in you choose, their answers, time on lessons and progress, and their chat with Clara. Used to run the lessons, build their transcript and show you how they are doing.
  • Who else handles it: Anthropic (an AI company) receives the chat text and the lesson, with your child's first name but no last name or account details, to write Clara's replies. That is how Clara works, so it is part of the service. If you switch on answering out loud for a child, their voice is turned into text on our own server and then discarded; it is never sent to another company. OpenAI turns lesson text and Clara's replies (which can include your child's first name) into the read-aloud voice. Our email provider sends you reports about your child. Nobody trains AI on your child's data, and nobody sells it.
  • Your rights: see everything collected from your child, have it deleted, or stop further collection at any time, from your account or by emailingour support address. If you refuse the AI sharing above, Clara cannot teach, so the service cannot run. Chats are deleted after 30 days.
  • Safety: if your child writes something suggesting they may be hurt or in danger, we email you and Clareza's owner the same day.

Paying by card is how you give consent. Full details, including how long we keep each thing: Privacy Policy (version 2026-10-05).

By continuing you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

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Questions parents ask

What is the five-finger test?

Your child reads a page and counts the words they cannot read. Two or three is about right.

Should my child only read books at their level?

No. Mix easy books, right-level books, and harder books you read together.

What should a beginning reader read?

Decodable books that use the sounds they have learned, plus picture books you read to them.

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