Typically used in: Kindergarten (KG1 / KG2) 
Grapheme focus: Listening to sounds, oral language, vocabulary development 
Equivalent to: Book Band Lilac

For children who are just beginning to learn about books and reading. These sharing books help your child expand their vocabulary of words and develop speaking and listening skills. Actions are provided to help children learn the meaning of new words. Speaking and listening activities are provided at the end of each book. This includes nursery rhymes, songs, traditional tales and non-fiction.

Nursery Rhymes

Songs

Traditional Tales

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 1
Letter Sounds: s a t p i n m d m g o c k ck e
UK Reference: Reception
Equivalent to: Book Band Pink

Stage 1 books are designed for children who are learning the letter sounds s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e and beginning to use phonics to read words like tap and sit. They will also be introduced to common words such as the, go, and to.

In Stage 1, there are 20 fiction and 4 non-fiction books, offering a wide range of engaging, fully decodable texts. The Stage 1 fiction books are available in both our Core Reading Scheme and the Additional Adventures range, providing extra books to reinforce learning through more practice, greater engagement, and opportunities to read for pleasure—helping to build confidence and fluency right from the start.

Each book includes optional text for adults, adding depth to the stories and incorporating extra non-fiction facts to further enrich the reading experience.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 1
Letters: h b u r f ff l ll ss j v w
UK Reference: Reception
Equivalent to: Book Band Pink/Red

By this stage, children are more able to use their knowledge of letter sounds to read new words. The books are for children who are learning letter sounds h b u r f ff l ll ss j v w, and are using phonics to read words like ‘vet’ and ’bell’. They will also be learning some common words like ‘has’, ‘he’ and ‘she’.

In Stage 2, there are 20 fiction and 3 non-fiction books, offering a wide range of engaging, fully decodable texts. The Stage 2 fiction books are available in both our Core Reading Scheme and the Additional Adventures range, providing extra books to reinforce learning through more practice, greater engagement, and opportunities to read for pleasure—helping to build confidence and fluency right from the start.

Each book includes optional text for adults, adding depth to the stories and incorporating extra non-fiction facts to further enrich the reading experience.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 1
Letters: x y z zz qu ch sh th ng
UK Reference: Reception
Equivalent to: Book Band Red

This stage is for children who are learning letter sounds x y z zz qu ch sh th ng. By Stage 3 your child will be using phonics to help them read slightly more complicated words than in Stage 2, including words with common digraphs ‘sh’, ‘ch’, and ‘th’, such as ‘shop’ and ‘thick’.

They will also be learning some common words like ‘with’ and ‘was’. Compared to Stage 2, story lines become more complex and children are encouraged to work out what will happen next.

In Stage 3, there are 20 fiction and 2 non-fiction books, offering a wide range of engaging, fully decodable texts. The Stage 3 fiction books are available in both our Core Reading Scheme and the Additional Adventures range, providing extra books to reinforce learning through more practice, greater engagement, and opportunities to read for pleasure—helping to build confidence and fluency right from the start.

Each book includes optional text for adults, adding depth to the stories and incorporating extra non-fiction facts to further enrich the reading experience.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 1
Letters: oo (long) oo (short) ar ow ee ur ai or oa er igh air oi ear
UK Reference: Reception
Equivalent to: Book Band Red

Stage 3.1 books are for children who are learning letter sounds oo (long) oo (short) ar ow ee ur ai or oa er igh air oi ear. At this level, your child will be using phonics to help them read slightly more complicated words than in Stage 2, including words with common vowel digraphs ‘ee’, ‘igh, and ‘ow’. They will use phonics knowledge to read words like ‘feet’, ‘down’ and ‘light’. They will also be learning common words like ‘the’, ‘go’ and ‘to’. Children continue to grow in confidence, reading longer sentences. There are 15 fiction and 4 non-fiction books at the Stage 3.1 level. Optional text is provided for an adult to further bring each story to life or add extra non-fiction facts.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 2
Letters: Consonant – Vowel – Consonant combinations
UK Reference: Reception
Equivalent to: Book Band Yellow

Stage 3.2 books are for children who are practising blending letter sounds together to read. The stage starts with simple combinations of consonants and vowels to read words such as ‘bump’ and ‘spin’. As the stage progresses, child read longer words and slightly more complex combinations, such as ‘giftbox’, ‘swinging’ and ‘printer’. Sentences are also longer, and the stories are more complex. They will also read common words such as ‘your’, ‘here’ and ‘their’. There are 15 fiction and 1 non-fiction books at the Stage 3.1 level. Optional text is provided for an adult to further bring each story to life or add extra non-fiction facts.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 2
Letters: ff ll ss zz ck nk tch ve ai oi ay oy a-e
UK Reference: Reception and Year 1
Equivalent to: Book Band Yellow/Light Blue

Stage 4 books are for children who are learning letter sounds ff ll ss zz ck nk tch ve ai oi ay oy a-e. At this stage, your child will be introduced to alternative spellings for sounds in words. For example, the long A can be spelt as ai, ay or a-e. This helps them to read words like ‘play’, ‘train’ and ‘wave’. They will also be reading a range of common words like ‘school’, ‘some’ and ‘were’ and are becoming a more confident reader. You will notice that the number of words increases and there is more variation in sentence beginnings. There are 10 fiction and 5 non-fiction books at the Stage 4 level. Optional adult text in the non-fiction range supplements reading with amazing facts.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 3
Letters: e-e i-e o-e u-e ar ee ea ea (short e) er
UK Reference: Year 1
Equivalent to: Book Band Green

Stage 5 books are for children who are learning letter sounds e-e i-e o-e u-e ar ee ea ea (short e) er. At this stage, your child will be introduced to alternative pronunciations. For example, ea can be pronounced as the long E in ‘tea’ or as the short e sound in ‘head’. They will also be reading a range of common words like ‘could’ and ‘people’. The number of words increases and adverbs are used more commonly to start sentences. Children will begin to infer and predict from more complex storylines. There are 10 fiction and 5 non-fiction books at the Stage 5 level. Optional adult text in the non-fiction range supplements reading with amazing facts.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 3
Letters: ir ur oa oo (short) oo (long) oe ou ow (long O) ow ue
UK Reference: Year 1
Equivalent to: Book Band Orange

In Stage 6 books, children are learning the letter sounds ir ur oa oo (short) oo (long) oe ou ow (long O) ow ue. Building on from Stage 5, this includes further alternative pronunciations, such as the long and short ’oo’ in ‘room’ and ‘foot’. You will find that the colour-coding in Monster Phonics will help your child to acquire this learning faster. They will also be reading a range of common words. By this stage, children will be able to work out many words automatically without sounding them out. Stories in Stage 6 are longer than in Stage 5. Exciting phonetic wow words are introduced such as ‘terrific’. There are 10 fiction and 6 non-fiction books at the Stage 6 level. Optional adult text in the non-fiction range supplements reading with amazing facts.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 3
Letters: ue (long U) ew (long oo) ew (long oo) ie (long I) ie (long E) igh or ore aw au
UK Reference: Year 1
Equivalent to: Book Band Orange

In Stage 7 books, children are learning the letter sounds ue ew (long oo) ew (long oo) ie (long I) ie (long E) igh or ore aw au. The reading includes further alternative spellings, such as different spellings for the ‘or’ sound. You will find that the colour-coding in Monster Phonics will help your child to acquire this learning faster. Children will also be reading a range of common words fluently.

Your child will be beginning to read with more independence. They should be feeling more confident and will rarely need to sound out words. Stories in Stage 6 are longer than in Stage 5 and include more exciting wow words to enrich vocabulary, such as ‘massive’, ‘thrilled’ and ‘elegant’. There are 10 fiction and 5 non-fiction books at the Stage 7 level. Optional adult text in the non-fiction range supplements reading with amazing facts.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 4
Letters: air ear (E-r) ear (air) are y (long E) ph wh e (long E) o (long O)
UK Reference: Year 1
Equivalent to: Book Band Turquoise

In Stage 8 books, children are learning the letter sounds air ear (E-r) ear (air) are y (long E) ph wh e (long E) o (long O). The reading includes more alternative spellings and pronunciations. You will find that the colour-coding in Monster Phonics will help your child to acquire this learning faster. Children will also be fluently reading a wide range of common words. Stage 8 books include an increasing range of descriptive adjectives and verbs to replace ‘said’. More challenging vocabulary includes more exciting wow words, such as ‘awesome’ and ‘delight’. There are 10 fiction and 5 non-fiction books at the Stage 8 level. Optional adult text in the non-fiction range supplements reading with amazing facts.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 4
Letters: dge g c kn gn wr le il el al
Year Group: Year 2
UK Reference: Book Band Purple

In Stage 9 books, children are learning the letter sounds dge g c kn gn wr le il el al. This includes more silent letters and alternative pronunciations. You will find that the colour-coding in Monster Phonics will help your child to acquire this learning faster. Children will also be fluently reading a wide range of common words. You will notice sentences become longer and more complex with the inclusion of connectives such as ‘when’ and ‘suddenly’. Vocabulary is extended with more exciting wow words, such as ‘spectacular’ and ‘incredibly’. There are 10 fiction and 5 non-fiction books at the Stage 9 level.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Typically used in: Grade 4
Letters: y (long I) al o (u) ey w-a w-or w-ar s (zsh) ti I (long I)
UK Reference: Year 2
Equivalent to: Book Band Gold

In Stage 10 books, children continue to learn more alternative pronunciations and spellings, covering y (long I), al, o (u), ey, w-a, w-or, w-ar, s (zsh), ti, I (long I). Children reading at this level are confident independent readers. They are able to read and understand complex language and story structures. They will be able to read most words fluently and automatically, either silently or out loud. With non-fiction texts, they will be able to use features like heading and captions to find information.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Approximate age: all ages
No Book Band

For children who are just beginning to learn about books and reading. These sharing books help your child expand their vocabulary of words and develop speaking and listening skills. Actions are provided to help children learn the meaning of new words. Speaking and listening activities are provided at the end of each book. This Foundation range includes nursery rhymes, songs, traditional tales and non-fiction.