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COMPARE · AGE 7 · YEAR 2 AND YEAR 3
At 7, most children in England are in Year 2 or Year 3, moving from sounding out words to reading fluently and for pleasure. The best free picks are Oxford Owl for Home, whose eBooks match the Book Band on a school reading book, and your library's apps (BorrowBox or Libby). For a paid programme, Reading Eggs covers phonics and comprehension, and Night Zookeeper suits children who like writing. Teach Your Monster helps a 7-year-old still securing phonics. Epic is a big library, and Litsee lets your child decide what happens in the story.
Last checked: Written by the Litsee team, who make Litsee. How we checked
| App | What it is | Ages | UK price | Free option | Devices | Offline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Owl | Free levelled eBook library | 3–11 | Free (registration needed) | Yes | In the browser; eBooks are tablet-friendly | Not stated |
| Library apps | Borrow your library's ebooks and audiobooks | All ages; the children's choice depends on your library | Free with your library membership | Yes | BorrowBox: iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire. Libby: phones, tablets, web, Kindle | Yes (Libby downloads to read offline) |
| Reading Eggs | Learn-to-read programme: phonics to comprehension | 2–13 (Reading Eggs 3–7, Fast Phonics 5–10, Reading Eggspress 7–13) | £6.99 a month or £54.99 a year for up to 4 children (£9.99 or £79.99 with maths) | No free plan | Web on desktops and tablets; iOS and Android apps | Not stated (printable worksheets) |
| Night Zookeeper | Reading and writing programme, set as an adventure | 6–12 | £11.99 a month, £27.99 a quarter or £99.99 a year for one child; more for each extra child | No free plan | Browser on tablets, PCs and laptops; iOS app for iPad and iPhone | Not stated |
| Epic | Digital library: 40,000+ books, audiobooks and videos | 12 and under | Website: $13.99 a month or $84.99 a year (US dollars). UK App Store: subscriptions in pounds, including £79.99 a year | Free for teachers and pupils in the school day (Epic School). No free family plan | Computer, tablet or phone | Yes, download books and audiobooks |
| Teach Your Monster | Phonics and reading games (Teach Your Monster to Read, Reading for Fun) | Teach Your Monster to Read: 3–6 (its App Store listing) | Free on computers. Teach Your Monster to Read app: £8.99 one-off on the UK App Store | Yes, every game is free on computers | Computer browser; iOS, Android and Amazon apps | Not stated |
| Litsee | Interactive stories: the child chooses what happens next | 5–11 (stories written for reading ages 5–9) | Standard £4.99 a month (15 stories), Premium £6.99 (unlimited), Book Club £19.99 (plus a printed book monthly) | No free plan | Web app in the browser on phones, tablets and computers; no app-store app | No, it needs an internet connection |
Seven is a turning point. In England, children take the phonics screening check in Year 1 and, if they don't meet the standard, retake it in Year 2. By Year 3, school reading moves on to longer books and reading for meaning, and many children start choosing chapter books for themselves.
So it helps to ask what your child needs next. If they are still sounding out, phonics practice at the right level helps. If they read well but rarely choose to, give them more say in what they read. The school reading book and its Book Band are the best guide to their level. The list below is in no particular order: each app is there for a different need.
Start from what your child needs. More than one can be right, and Litsee is only the answer for one of these.
Free books at their school level
Oxford Owl for Home
Free eBooks for ages 3 to 11, levelled by Oxford Level and Book Band, so you can match the school reading book.
Free books they choose themselves, including audiobooks
Your library's apps (BorrowBox or Libby)
Your library's apps. BorrowBox or Libby, with a library card, at no cost; Libby downloads for offline reading.
A structured programme for phonics and comprehension
Reading Eggs
Fast Phonics (5 to 10) and Reading Eggspress (7 to 13) are the parts aimed at this age, and one plan covers up to four children.
A child who loves writing, or needs help with it
Night Zookeeper
For ages 6 to 12, with writing, grammar, spelling and vocabulary at its heart.
A big library with read-to-me books and offline downloads
Epic
More than 40,000 titles for ages 12 and under. Prices are in US dollars on its website and in pounds through the UK App Store.
A 7-year-old still securing phonics
Teach Your Monster
Teach Your Monster to Read. It is aimed at ages 3 to 6, so many 7-year-olds have moved past it, but it is free on computers and good for catching up on letter sounds.
A reader who would rather make up stories than read them
Litsee
Your child picks the hero and the world and chooses what happens next, in an illustrated story read aloud at their level. It is a web app, a card is needed for the 7-day trial, and the stories are made with AI.
A free eBook library for ages 3 to 11, levelled by Oxford Level and Book Band. UK price: Free (registration needed).
Borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your local public library on a phone or tablet. UK price: Free with your library membership.
A learn-to-read programme of games, lessons and e-books, from first sounds to comprehension. UK price: £6.99 a month or £54.99 a year for up to 4 children (£9.99 or £79.99 with maths).
A reading and writing programme for ages 6 to 12, set as an adventure. UK price: £11.99 a month, £27.99 a quarter or £99.99 a year for one child; more for each extra child.
A large digital library of children's books, audiobooks and learning videos. UK price: Website: $13.99 a month or $84.99 a year (US dollars). UK App Store: subscriptions in pounds, including £79.99 a year.
Phonics and reading games from a charity set up by Peter Usborne of Usborne Publishing. UK price: Free on computers. Teach Your Monster to Read app: £8.99 one-off on the UK App Store.
Interactive illustrated stories where the child chooses what happens next. UK price: Standard £4.99 a month (15 stories), Premium £6.99 (unlimited), Book Club £19.99 (plus a printed book monthly).
There is no single right level. At 7, children in England are usually in Year 2 or Year 3, and many are moving from decoding words to reading fluently and for meaning. A mix of books at their school level and stories they choose for fun works for most children, and their school reading book and Book Band are the best guide to where they are.
Yes. Oxford Owl for Home has free levelled eBooks for ages 3 to 11, your local library's apps (BorrowBox or Libby) lend ebooks and audiobooks free with a library card, and Teach Your Monster's games are free on computers.
Often, yes. Teach Your Monster to Read's app is described as suitable for ages 3 to 6, so many 7-year-olds will have moved past it. It can still help a child who is still securing phonics, for example before a Year 2 retake of the phonics screening check.
It depends on why. If reading feels hard, phonics practice at the right level helps (Teach Your Monster or Reading Eggs), and it is worth talking to their teacher. If they can read but don't want to, more say can help: a library app lets them pick any book, and Litsee lets them decide what happens in the story.
Yes. Litsee is for ages 5 to 11, with stories written for reading ages 5 to 9. The level is set from your child's age and reading confidence and can be changed for any story, and narration highlights each word as it is read so they can follow along.
Written by the Litsee team. We make Litsee, so we are not neutral: we have tried to be fair, we say where another app is the better choice, and every fact links to the company's own website or app store listing. If something here is wrong or out of date, email info@litsee.com and we will fix it.
Prices, ages, free options and devices were read on each company's own website or its UK App Store listing on . Where a site did not say something (whether it works offline, say), we write "not stated" rather than guess. Prices and offers change, so check before you subscribe.
In Litsee, your child picks the hero and the world and chooses what happens next, in an illustrated story read aloud at their level. Every family starts with a 7-day free trial; a card is needed to start it, and nothing is charged if you cancel before it ends.
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