As a parent, former teacher, and author, I’ve seen the early chapter book space change gradually. Over the past ten years, books intended for 6- 9 year-olds have started to include storylines and tone more commonly found in books for older readers. Characters with sharp humor, themes of exclusion, and emotionally intense moments have become more common in stories for children who are just beginning to explore friendship and learning about themselves.

As trends have shifted, something important feels like it was lost. Many books stopped focusing on the kind of storytelling that gives young readers a sense of wonder and emotional comfort, which is especially valuable at this stage of development.

There are challenges behind the scenes for authors. For independent authors, early chapter books and junior novels can be difficult to market. They fall between categories. They aren’t children's illustrated books or early readers such as the Scholastic Levels, but they’re also not difficult enough to be shelved with middle grade fiction. These books are sometimes mistaken for fully illustrated titles and may be overlooked or misjudged in reviews for not including color pages, frequent enough illustrations or for using language that seems overly simple to adult readers.

In reality, the language and structure of early chapter books and junior novel is chosen carefully. Simpler words and shorter sentences are not signs of weak writing. They’re intentional and designed to support young readers as they grow in skill and confidence. Many publishers follow strict benchmarks when producing books in this category. If a manuscript doesn’t meet those expectations, it won't be accepted for traditional publication.

These benchmarks are measurable. Lexile scores, for example, reflect vocabulary, syntax, and overall text difficulty. That number helps parents and educators select material that children can read independently without becoming overwhelmed.

This reading stage is foundational. It’s often where a child forms their early impressions of what reading feels like, and whether it’s something they want to keep doing.

Some of the most common standards for early chapter books/ junior novels include:

• Lexile Range: Usually 300L to 600L
• Sentence Length: About 8 to 12 words, using direct sentence structure
• Punctuation limited (no colons, semicolons, etc.)
• Word Count: Typically between 8,000 and 15,000 words total
• Chapter Length: Short sections, often 2 to 6 pages
• Content: Themes and character interactions that are accessible and emotionally appropriate for the intended age

Many independent writers have chosen to focus on middle grade, picture books, or young adult fiction instead as these categories allow more flexibility with language, structure, and topic. As a result, early chapter books are often dominated by large publishers who tie them to popular brands and franchises. Junior novels (often called Junior Novelization) are almost always movie adaptations into child friendly novel format. While these stories can be fun, they don’t always prioritize what younger readers need nor the quality they deserve.

My goal in writing, The Unicorn Shore series was to show these categories of early chapter books and junior novels could still be written with mystery, heart, exciting adventures and vivid imagery without relying on mature content, sarcasm or "mean girls".

The Unicorn Shore series explores courage, feeling out of place, connection, sisterhood, relationships and the quiet strength that comes from choosing not to let fear decide your next step.

Movie adaptations are fun and heavily illustrated books are beautiful, but children also deserve meaningful stories at every level of reading, not just after they’ve built fluency or learned to follow complex plots. When books at this stage feel shallow or rushed, it’s easy to see why some kids begin to lose interest. But if they’re offered something worth caring about, they just might keep reading...