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An introduction to book series that feature engaging topics with an emphasis on readability is presented.

The article presents a profile of the "hi/lo" book genre of children's and adolescent literature. Details are given describing the characteristics of high interest, low reading level (hi/low) texts, focusing on their goal to encourage interest in reading and present as few obstacles for struggling readers as possible. Commentary is also given discussing debate over the literary quality of the works.

An introduction is presented to a section of reviews on high-interest, low readability books.

Discusses the craft of writing biography for young readers of the 21st century. How the author chooses a subject; Importance of thorough research, detailed attributions, and a lively writing style; Topic of the genre of picture-book biography; Statement that the author hopes to leave the reader with an honest impression of the person at the center of the book.

The article discusses reading evaluation and readability recommendations of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), focusing on the standards' attempts to increase the teaching of close reading to prepare students for standardized reading tests and difficult writing. Topic include 2013 trends in students' literacy and reading comprehension rates, tactile reading, which includes annotating text to better engage with it, as well as methods to guide students' independent reading selections.

In this article the author discusses the role of school librarians and media specialists in assessing the complexity of texts in order to inform their teacher colleagues on the books that should be used to align with the Common Core State Standards initiative. Topics addressed include quantitative text evaluation systems such as Lexile scoring, the impact of prior learning on a student's reading ability, and teacher and school librarian cooperation.