A readability level prediction tool for K‐12 books

The readability levels of books identify suitable reading materials. Unfortunately, the majority of published books are assigned a readability level range, which is not useful to readers who look for books at a particular grade level. Existing readability formulas/analysis tools require at least an excerpt of a book to estimate its readability level, which is a severe constraint, since copyright laws prohibit book contents from being made publicly accessible. To alleviate the constraint, we have developed TRoLL which relies on publicly accessible online book metadata, in addition to using a book's snippet, if it is available, to predict its readability level. Based on a multi‐dimensional regression analysis, TRoLL determines the grade level of any book instantly, even without a sample of its text, and considers its topical suitability, which is unique. Furthermore, TRoLL is a significant contribution to the educational community, since its computed book readability levels can enrich K‐12 readers' book selections and aid parents, teachers, and librarians in locating reading materials suitable for their K‐12 readers, which can be a time‐consuming and frustrating task that does not always yield a quality outcome. Conducted empirical studies have verified the prediction accuracy of TRoLL and demonstrated its superiority over well‐known readability formulas/analysis tools.

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