Hi-Lo Books: An Innovative Option for Struggling Teen Readers

Can you imagine struggling to read in middle school? What would it feel like to find books at your reading level geared towards young children? Perhaps starting out with a basic, entry-level picture book is a good first step to begin learning how to read, but what would you do if the only available options were books written with the interests of kindergarteners in mind?

This is where high-interest, low vocabulary (hi-lo) books come in. These books allow middle schoolers who struggle with reading to find resources and materials geared toward their age range, passions, and reading level to foster engagement. Hi-lo books consider a teen’s interests as plots, storylines, and topics are developed. Additionally, literacy and reading fluency are accounted for as the text is written with limited vocabulary in an easy-to-read format. The overarching goal is to create streamlined stories that draw middle-grade students in while, simultaneously, keeping the difficulty level and readability in mind.

The Importance of Hi-Lo Books

Rather than having teens read picture books intended for young children, hi-lo books fill the gap for older students who are still learning to read. To function effectively, these books must provide engaging illustrations and carefully designed text that make the experience positive and enjoyable. It is important to support teens who are learning to read by including simple sentences while, at the same time, providing compelling plots and relatable characters in narratives that captivate the minds of struggling older readers.

Text, words, images, and sentences must be strategically planned out to provide the reader with an engrossing experience that encourages the development of further essential literacy skills over time. The most important characteristic of a hi-lo book is that it consists of key supports that aid teens in learning to read without being branded as a “children’s book.”

Characteristics of Hi-Lo Books: Structure and Supports

Reading skills form an essential basis from which other life lessons and academic achievements can be built. Therefore, educators need to catch students who are not reading at grade level as early as possible so that additional support and remediation can be implemented. Students are more likely to be receptive to positive feedback from instructors when they build up their vocabulary repertoire and reading fluency in a positive way.

Although improving one’s reading ability can be a long process, hi-lo books strategically focus on including compelling illustrations with engrossing plots (similar to comic books) for students in intermediate grades. The books are usually short and have considerably more white space on the page. The covers are made to look similar to other reading options that are on grade level so that the struggling student is not further singled out as a remedial reader. Middle-grade readers can achieve a sense of accomplishment and gratification from completing a book that is engaging, inspiring, and fun to read while also being accessible at their current reading level.

Hi-lo books are captivating and geared towards grabbing the reader’s interest from the first page to the last illustration. Many are action-oriented and include compelling content, appealing character interactions, and adventurous conflicts that are intriguing from the time a student first locks eyes on the cover of a book.

Genres include diverse topics ranging from fiction to nonfiction, and they aim to feature subjects, fast-paced plots, and interests that middle school students are fiercely passionate about. Fictional characters must be well-developed and distinct from other characters so that the storyline is easy to follow. Longer words are kept to a minimum and purposefully used in multiple places throughout the book to provide sufficient learning exposure. Furthermore, sentence length is consistently kept short as the plot develops in an uncomplicated way.

Father on the couch at home reading a storybook to his preschool age daughter with autism

Hi-Lo Book Publishers

While hi-lo resources are not always available at local bookstores, libraries, or school book sales, there are many resource pages, websites, publishers, companies, and organizations dedicated to producing, disseminating, marketing, and selling hi-lo options. It can also be helpful for school personnel to focus on educating others about the need for–and importance of–hi-lo materials.

Reputable publishers for hi-lo resources include:

Hi-Lo Book Options

Websites like Reading Rockets provide visitors with a variety of suggested books, common authors, and additional information regarding the importance of hi-lo options for middle school students. Hi-lo books purposefully provide supports such as limited vocabulary, emotional connectedness, inspiring storylines, exciting illustrations, and strategic text placement to ensure that readers are initially drawn in and subsequently encouraged to read on.

Indeed, these factors play a key role in the development of fluent reading skills, and hi-lo books provide extra assistance with easy-to-follow content that is intended to support literacy skills among older students. Students’ reading fluency typically increases with consistent practice over time. Implementing specific resources–like hi-lo books tailored to meet the unique needs of struggling learners–promotes skill development as well.

Teen dramas, historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, comics, contemporary romance, fantasy, and autobiographies are several popular genres among middle school and teen students. Some hi-lo options in these genres include:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
Final Cut, Kung Fu Master, and Kylie the Magnificent by Marty Chan
Below the Surface by Allison Finley
Jungle Jitters by Lisa Dalrymple
Lunch Lady series by Jarrett Krosoczka
Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park
Judy Moody and Stink series by Megan McDonald
The Bodyguard, One Last Job, and Firewall by Sean Rodman
Historical picture biographies by David Adler and Kathleen Krull
Genie Meanie, Project Bollywood, The Tiffin, and Valley of the Rats by Mahtab Narsimhan
Falling Out of Place, The Soldier, Blow Out, Fish Boy, and Racer by M.G. Higgins

Research suggests that reading can also be an effective way to learn to empathize with others, exercise one’s brain, improve stress, and provide entertainment. Therefore, assisting middle school students who are struggling to read is an important area to emphasize in the context of academic performance and social skill success. Focused attention, memory, and social communication can also all be improved throughout the reading process.

mother-and-daughter-reading

Hi-Lo Workbooks

Options for hi-lo workbooks are available through companies like Remedia Publications which provides parents, teachers, and students with easy-to-use workbooks covering a variety of academic skills and other important topics. Implementing these tools is simple, and there are numerous options to choose from, including hands-on support for reading, writing, language, life skills, and math.

By using hi-lo workbooks, students can acquire skills related to:

Teenage girl with book

Grasping these skills will take students far on their journey to becoming independent, literate, and socially prepared young adults in the real world. Furthermore, using easy-to-read workbooks with straightforward concepts will assist teens in developing the skills they need for long-term success.

In Summary

Hi-lo resources are strategically developed to present learning materials in an approachable and easily accessible manner. They can even be beneficial for English as a second language (ESL) students or adults who are learning to read for the first time.

Improved reading ability has also been linked to reductions in preventable issues–like stress and low self-esteem–which are correlated with below-average literacy skills. Fluency and reading pace should be prioritized as the acquisition of other life skills–such as self-care, internal motivation, social interactions, and the ability to live independently–are developed through the use of hi-lo workbooks, reading materials, and resources.

Have you implemented hi-lo resources (or other similar materials) in the classroom setting for struggling students? Let us know in the comments below.

Before you go, don't forget to check out our free resource on Hi-Lo Book Resources.