Book Levels

Level N

  • Literal change in character
  • Characters start to work together
  • Setting shows (character) personality
  • Secondary characters have an effect on main characters
  • Theme/underlying message emerges

Level O:

  • Change in story (turning point)
  • Characters have personalities that affect the story
  • A lot of action (follows plot structure of Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action)
  • Real HF takes place (content of history affects story)
  • There is an angle or agenda
  • 2 themes/main ideas/issues

Level P:

  • In HF, there is more historical period info
  • The major plot change now affects characters

Level Q:

  • Each scene brings a new realization
  • Characters are multi-faceted
  • Setting drives the plot

Band N, O, P, Q
Books: The Chocolate Touch, A-Z Mysteries, Fudge-A-Mania, Amber Brown
Structure:
  • Character encounters not just one problem, but several
  • Problem may be multidimensional
  • Synthesis
  • Determining importance
  • Multiple story lines- Reader needs to extract the main story line (plot, subplot)
  • Revise your ideas/thinking as you read- don’t get stuck on one theory
Characters:
  • Think about why characters do what they do (another reason, another part)
  • Cause and effect- link earlier parts of the book with later- look for throughlines
  • Main character will be complicated and is often conflicted
  • Trouble in the story may be internal
  • Readers need to pay attention to descriptions of the main character and hold it throughout the book
  • Pay close attention to what the characters say about each other
Vocabulary and Syntax:
  • Readers will often encounter words and phrases that aren’t part of their everyday spoken language- unique
  • Puns, metaphors and other figures of speech are evident “Amber Brown is Not a Crayon”
  • Be careful not to misinterpret information as it may lead you astray

Level R:

  • Internal conflicts within a character (conflict begins externally)
  • Character changes all the time (character may have 2/3 different personas)
  • Characters have moral dilemmas
  • There are different characters representing different issues
  • There is a lot of innuendo
  • There are theses and subtheses
  • 3 themes/issues
  • Vocabulary changes, becomes more sophisticated
  • Similes are used

Level S:

  • Metaphoric descriptions
  • 3/4/5 issues are simultaneous
  • Themes are interconnected
  • Issues define character & story
  • Major character is changed by other characters (there is a nemesis)
  • Setting takes on meaning of its own (and can be “symmetrical” to character)
  • There is internal/external conflict

Level T:

  • Title of book and beginning do not match (resulting) story
  • Characters are intertwined
  • Flashbacks get deeper
  • Foreshadowing (as literary device) introduced
  • Imagery and many other literary devices used (and used more elaborately)
  • 5 themes all connect & connect to a deeper meaning

Band R, S, T
Books: Because of Winn Dixie, The Tiger Rising, Bridge to Terabithia, Hatchet (the secret)
Structure:
  • Stories are layered with meaning- like an iceberg- there is a part that shows and is labeled and discussed- it may seem that there is a problem between two characters but the underlying meaning is that of lonliness
  • Not all of the problems in the book are solved
  • The storyline is less about a character, their problem and a solution, but is more about characters and how characters encounter problems and work to respond to those problems, changing and learning in the process
  • Readers need to follow the evolving plotline and the evolving setting
  • Setting becomes a force in the story, influencing characters and the plot
  • Settings change because characters relate to them differently throughout the story ex- Tiger rising- dark in beginning, sunny at end
  • Readers need to accumulate growing understanding of the setting, just as we do with characters
  • Readers need to hold more parts of the book in their minds- subplots, subcharacters will often become important to the resolution
Character:
  • Characterized by complex internal emotional lives
  • Readers need to infer what the character is feeling
  • Readers will often know more about the character than the character does about themselves- omniscient
Vocabulary and Syntax:
  • Increased use of figurative language
  • Often contain tricky chapters- books are hard on purpose- read on- the book will become clearer in the end

Level U:

  • Characters have sophisticated lives (text to world connection is big!)
  • Adult problems arise

Level V:

  • Deep innuendo
  • Empathy necessary (on part of the reader)
  • Symbolism is key!

Level W:

  • Social issues affect characters
  • Moral dilemma motivates characters

Band U, V, W
Books: Loser, Walk Two Moons, Tangerine, Holes, The Thief Lord, Things Not Seen
Structure:
  • Passage of time becomes increasingly complex, often chronologically, look for a big event that happened before the story begins
  • Read on to learn about the prior event and find the meaning of it (backstory) it can continue through 2/3 of the book
  • Backstory is usually not a flashback, but involves a character telling or uncovering background information- a bit at a time
  • Multiple plot lines- as a new chapter begins, there may be a new narrator or a character may be left behind
  • Characters and setting become symbolic of bigger themes
  • Setting can be a symbol for a theme or an issue
  • Look for foreshadowing
Characters
  • Continue to become more complex
  • Characters are often teenagers- it may be difficult to empathize with them
  • Point of view may be multi-dimensional- consider perspectives other than that of the protagonist
  • The narrator may be unreliable-(Maniac Magee) they may be figuring out the past and the present along with the reader
  • Large number of characters- important characters may be adults- need to understand the adult world to fully comprehend
  • There may be themes of oppression, injustice, social norms

Level X:

  • Many different theme connect & take reader in different ways
  • Various perspectives & analogies made
  • Conflict & denial surround the story
  • The use of literary devices drives the story

Level Y:

  • Very much like X books, but now understand that the characters are adult with adult problems and issues
  • The use of symbols and hyperbole brings out points and ideas

Level Z:

  • Contains and synthesizes all that precedes

Band X, Y, Z
Books: Homecoming, Monster, Criss Cross, Out of the Dust, King of Shadows, The Giver
Characteristics:
  • Books may include multiple genres within one book
  • Perspectives overlap and may conflict
  • Whole chapters jump back in time
  • Narrator is often unreliable- he or she will say things that the reader is expected to realize are not as the narrator has stated
  • Unreliability of the narrator is a theme- it is impossible for one to be all-knowing- especially about oneself
  • Readers need to be able to figure things out
  • Expectations on readers go beyond- readers need to be able to draw upon knowledge about the world and other books
  • References are left unexplained
  • In fantasy books, reader needs to bring a wealth of knowledge from mythology, fables and other fantasy texts
  • Dialogue may become tricky as characters speak with vernacular reminiscent of another time and place