Children complete quizzes on books to assess their understanding, but can also vote for books in terms of whether they enjoyed the book or not. Of course, the degree of understanding is not the same as personal preference, and the two measures should not be confused. The voting system enables pupils to select one of four ratings of a book: One of the best books I have ever read, A very good book, An OK book, and Not a good book. 

These four ratings are used to generate an Average Book Rating, which is then weighted, taking into account factors such as the minimum number of votes, the overall number of votes cast for a particular book, and the context of ratings within that specific year.  

Year 1 

The number of pupils responding in this Year is low, so results may not be reliable. Many books had not appeared the year before. The top book was What Does an Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins. Daisy Meadows and Roderick Hunt both had three books; otherwise, authors were diverse (see table 35). Given the significant annual changes at this level, teachers and librarians face a major challenge in terms of their time and the funds available for updating book resources. Librarians need very up-to-date information about children’s preferences if they are to be able to respond to children’s motivations. Average ATOS was 2.2 (up from 1.9) (UK equivalent 3.2), indicating the pupils were reading at more than two years above their chronological age. Were they reading these books accurately? The average APC was 0.93, a little higher than last year, so the answer overall is “yes”.  

Year 2 

Year 2 numbers responding were again relatively low, so results again should not be taken as reliable. J.K. Rowling had four books (including the top two), Daisy Meadows three, Simon Mugford two, Dav Pilkey two and Andy Griffiths two. Other authors were very diverse (see Table 36). The average ATOS rating was 4.6, slightly higher than last year (UK: 5.6). These children were reading books three and a half years above their chronological age. The average APC was much the same at 0.90.  

Year 3 

In Year 3, the numbers were larger and the data more reliable. The top book was How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury by Cressida Cowell. Katie Kirby and J.K. Rowling both had four books. Sophie Cleverly and Rick Riordan had two. Other authors were very varied (see Table 37). The average ATOS rating was 5.2, down slightly from the previous year (5.5) (UK: 6.2). These books were more than three years harder than the pupils’ chronological age. The average APC was 0.92, up a little from the previous year.  

Year 4 

The top book was The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer, who also had another book at number three. A.F. Steadman and Rick Riordan had three books. Katie Kirby, J.K. Rowling, Kieran Larwood and Erin Hunter all had two books each. Enid Blyton also put in an appearance in this list of favoured books (see Table 38).  

The average ATOS rating was 5.4, similar to last year (UK: 6.4 years). These pupils were reading almost two and a half years above their chronological age. The average APC was 0.95, significantly up from last year.  

Year 5 

Rick Riordan’s The Blood of Olympus was the top book, and he had three other books in the list.  

Erin Hunter had six books (fewer than last year), Christopher Paolini and Katie Kirby both had three each. A number of these books were of very high readability (see Table 39). The average ATOS rating was 5.7, a slight increase from last year (UK: 6.7 years). These books were over a year and a half harder than the children’s chronological age. The average APC was 0.94 (just as last year). 

Year 6 

Scott Cawthon had the first two places in the list with his Five Nights at Freddy’s books. Erin Hunter had six books, Shannon Messenger three and Rick Riordan two (see Table 40). The average ATOS rating was 5.4, a modest decline from last year (5.7) (UK: 6.4 years). These pupils were reading nearly half a year above their actual age. The average APC was 0.95, increased from 0.93 last year.  

Year 7 

The top book was Quest for Justice by Sean Fay Wolfe. Erin Hunter had three books. Christopher Paolini, Holly Jackson, and A.F. Steadman each had two books (see Table 41). The average ATOS rating was 5.7, the same as last year (UK: 6.7 years). In the first year of secondary school, these pupils were reading books which were already half a year below their chronological age level. The average APC was 0.92 (down a little from last year). 

Year 8 

The top book was The Last Hope by Erin Hunter, who had a further seven books in the list. A.F. Steadman had two books (see Table 42). The average ATOS rating was 5.3 (a decline from 5.7 the previous year) (UK: 6.3 years). These books were more than a year and a half below chronological age. The average APC was 0.93 (just the same as last year).  

Years 9-11 

Tahereh Mafi had the top book with Ignite Me, and three further books in the list. Sarah J Maas and Holly Jackson both also had four books lower down in the list. Rick Riordan had two books (see Table 43). The average ATOS rating was 5.4, just as last year (UK Years 6.4), but only marginally higher than Year 8 pupils. These books were three and a half years easier than chronological age. The average APC was 0.93, just as last year.