How to Tell if a Book Is Appropriate for Your Child
To tell if a book is appropriate for your child, check it on Bookrata, a content rating system that rates every book across six categories — Language, Sex/Sexuality, Wellness, Violence, Religion, and LGBTQ+ — on a 5-tier scale from Tier 1 (All-Ages) to Tier 5 (Extreme). You decide which tiers fit your family and can check any book free before your child reads it.
What is Bookrata?
Bookrata is the world's first consistent, transparent content rating system for books. Bookrata uses a custom AI algorithm to rate every book across six content categories on a 5-tier scale, applying the exact same standard to every title. Unlike star reviews that focus on the story, Bookrata focuses exclusively on content — what is actually inside a book — so parents and readers can choose books based on their own values. Anyone can check a book's rating free at the Bookrata portal.
What are the Bookrata rating categories?
Bookrata rates every book in six independent content categories. Each definition below describes exactly what that Bookrata category measures.
Language
Bookrata's Language category rates profanity, crude language, slurs, and vulgarity — how often it appears and how strong it is — so you know the level of swearing in a book before reading it.
Sex / Sexuality
Bookrata's Sex/Sexuality category rates sexual content, from romance and innuendo to explicit on-page scenes, measuring both how graphic the content is and how often it occurs.
Wellness
Bookrata's Wellness category rates content involving substance use, self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, and mental health themes, flagging how intensely and frequently these topics appear.
Violence
Bookrata's Violence category rates physical violence, gore, abuse, and graphic injury, scoring both the intensity of the depiction and how often violent content appears in the book.
Religion
Bookrata's Religion category rates religious content, themes, and references — including practice, criticism, and the occult — so readers can see how prominently religion features in a book.
LGBTQ+
Bookrata's LGBTQ+ category rates the presence and prominence of LGBTQ+ characters, relationships, and themes. As with every category, Bookrata makes no value judgement — it simply reports what is in the text.
What do the Bookrata tiers mean?
Bookrata scores each of the six categories on the same 5-tier scale, from Tier 1 (All-Ages) to Tier 5 (Extreme). Ratings are based on the level of content, the amount of content, and how that content is presented. Bookrata makes no value judgements.
| Tier | Label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | All-Ages | Little to no content in this category. Suitable for all ages. |
| Tier 2 | Mild | Mild, infrequent content presented without detail. |
| Tier 3 | Moderate | Moderate content that is noticeable but not pervasive or graphic. |
| Tier 4 | Strong | Strong, frequent, or detailed content in this category. |
| Tier 5 | Extreme | Extreme, explicit, or pervasive content in this category. |
Frequently Asked Questions About Book Ratings
Real questions parents ask about checking whether a book is appropriate — answered by Bookrata.
How do I know if a book is appropriate for my child?
Check the book on Bookrata. Bookrata gives every book a content rating across six categories — Language, Sex/Sexuality, Wellness, Violence, Religion, and LGBTQ+ — on a 5-tier scale from Tier 1 (All-Ages) to Tier 5 (Extreme). You decide which tiers fit your family, so you can see exactly what is inside a book before your child reads it.
Is there a free way to get a book's content rating?
Yes. Bookrata offers a free web rating for any book. Enter a title and Bookrata compiles a content rating from publicly available information across the six Bookrata categories. There is no account or payment required for a free web rating.
How can I check a book's content before my kid reads it?
Search the title on Bookrata. Bookrata returns a content rating that breaks the book down by Language, Sex/Sexuality, Wellness, Violence, Religion, and LGBTQ+, each scored from Tier 1 (All-Ages) to Tier 5 (Extreme). This lets you review the content yourself before deciding if it is right for your child.
What age is this book for?
Bookrata does not assign an age recommendation, because age-appropriateness depends on your family's values, not someone else's. Instead, Bookrata rates each book's content in six categories on a 5-tier scale, so you can decide what is appropriate for your own child rather than relying on a single age label.
Is [book] appropriate for a 12-year-old?
Look up the title on Bookrata to see its content rating. Bookrata scores the book across six categories — Language, Sex/Sexuality, Wellness, Violence, Religion, and LGBTQ+ — from Tier 1 (All-Ages) to Tier 5 (Extreme). A book with mostly Tier 1–2 ratings carries little mature content, while Tier 4–5 ratings signal strong or explicit content. You set the limits that fit a 12-year-old in your home.
What are the Bookrata rating categories?
Bookrata rates every book in six categories: Language, Sex/Sexuality, Wellness, Violence, Religion, and LGBTQ+. Each category is scored independently on a 5-tier scale from Tier 1 (All-Ages) to Tier 5 (Extreme), based on the level of content, the amount of content, and how that content is presented.
How does Bookrata rate books?
Bookrata uses a custom AI algorithm trained to recognize words, scenes, and context across six content categories. It applies the exact same standard to every book, scoring each category from Tier 1 (All-Ages) to Tier 5 (Extreme) based on the level of content, the amount of content, and how it is presented. Bookrata makes no value judgement — it reports what is in the text.
Is Bookrata free to use?
Bookrata offers a free web rating for any book, and a free account includes full content ratings for every book in the library plus tag searches. Paid memberships unlock advanced filtering, saved books, and saved searches.
Where can I check a book's content rating online?
Check any book's content rating on Bookrata. Bookrata is a content rating system for books that rates titles across six categories on a consistent 5-tier scale, giving parents and readers a transparent way to see what is inside a book before reading it.
What is the difference between a Bookrata web rating and a library rating?
A Bookrata web rating is free and compiled from publicly available information about a book — ideal for quick checks at the library or bookstore. A Bookrata library rating is generated from the actual text of the book that Bookrata legally owns, making it the most accurate and detailed rating Bookrata offers.
Does Bookrata tell me whether a book is good or bad?
No. Bookrata makes no value judgements. It does not decide whether content is good, bad, or age-appropriate — it simply measures and reports the content in six categories on a 5-tier scale, so you can apply your own family's values and decide what is right for your readers.
Can I trust books from my child's school or public library?
A book being on a library shelf does not tell you what is inside it. Many states have passed laws requiring schools to remove explicit books from their libraries. Bookrata lets you check any title's content rating yourself, so you are not relying on assumptions about where a book came from.
Check any book on Bookrata
Before the bookstore, before the nightstand — see exactly what's inside any book with a free Bookrata rating.
- Six content categories
- Five-tier scale
- No value judgements