For Publishers
Partnering with publishers to bring transparent Looky Rating System (LRS) directly to readers
We're working with publishers to print our book ratings directly inside their books. This makes it super easy for young readers and parents to check the ratings anytime, anywhere.
If your favorite publisher doesn't have our ratings yet, just let us know! You can also reach out to them and say you'd love to see our system in their books.
Understanding Our Looky Rating System (LRS)
How the LRS determines content ratings and why your books received specific scores
Our Mission
BookLooky provides the Looky Rating System (LRS), a transparent, icon-based rating system to help families make informed decisions about children's and young adult books. The LRS is designed to be objective, consistent, and easily understood by parents, educators, and readers of all ages.
How We Determine Ratings
1. AI-Powered Analysis with Human Oversight
- Our system uses advanced AI technology trained on thousands of books to analyze content objectively
- Each rating is based on specific content elements found in the book's text, description, and categorization
- Our AI considers context, intensity, frequency, and age-appropriateness when assigning ratings
- All ratings are reviewed and can be manually adjusted by our content team
2. The 0-5 Scale Explained
Each content theme is rated on a scale from 0 to 5:
- 0 = None: No presence of this theme
- 1 = Very Low: Minimal, brief mentions or very mild examples
- 2 = Low: Occasional presence with mild intensity
- 3 = Medium: Moderate presence with noticeable but not overwhelming content
- 4 = Moderate: Notable presence that significantly impacts the story
- 5 = High: Prominent, extensive, or intense presence throughout
Rating Justification by Category
Violence (💥)
- Rating 1: Verbal arguments, minor conflicts, sibling squabbles
- Rating 2: Occasional pushing, mild physical confrontations
- Rating 3: Regular fighting, bullying, moderate physical conflict
- Rating 4: Frequent violence, graphic descriptions, weapons
- Rating 5: Intense, graphic violence, warfare, detailed injury descriptions
Example: A book receives a 4 instead of 3 on violence because it contains multiple detailed fight scenes with graphic descriptions of injuries, rather than just occasional mild confrontations.
Romance (❤️)
- Rating 1: Crushes, mild romantic feelings, innocent attraction
- Rating 2: Dating, hand-holding, mild romantic tension
- Rating 3: Kissing, moderate romantic relationships, emotional intimacy
- Rating 4: Steady relationships, passionate moments, romantic drama
- Rating 5: Intense romantic relationships, mature themes, detailed romantic scenes
Mental Health (🧠)
- Rating 1: Mild anxiety, everyday worries, brief mentions of stress
- Rating 2: Occasional anxiety, mild emotional struggles
- Rating 3: Regular mental health themes, therapy mentions, moderate struggles
- Rating 4: Significant mental health focus, detailed psychological content
- Rating 5: Intense mental health themes, trauma, detailed psychological exploration
Fantasy (🧙)
- Rating 1: Mild magical elements, simple fantasy concepts
- Rating 2: Occasional magic, fantasy creatures, magical settings
- Rating 3: Regular fantasy elements, magic systems, fantasy adventures
- Rating 4: Extensive fantasy world-building, complex magic systems
- Rating 5: Intense fantasy content, dark magic, complex supernatural elements
Language (💬)
- Rating 1: Mild expressions, very light language
- Rating 2: Occasional mild language, light profanity
- Rating 3: Regular mild language, moderate expressions
- Rating 4: Frequent language, stronger expressions
- Rating 5: Intense language, frequent strong profanity
Substance Use (🍷)
- Rating 1: Brief mentions, social drinking context
- Rating 2: Occasional references, mild substance mentions
- Rating 3: Regular references, moderate substance use
- Rating 4: Significant substance themes, detailed use
- Rating 5: Intense substance themes, addiction, detailed substance use
Gender Identity & Representation (🏳️🌈)
- Rating 1: Brief mentions of identity or inclusive language
- Rating 2: Occasional characters exploring gender or LGBTQ+ themes
- Rating 3: Regular focus on gender identity, relationships, or representation
- Rating 4: Significant exploration of gender identity or LGBTQ+ experiences
- Rating 5: Central, in-depth focus on gender identity or LGBTQ+ storylines
Fear/Horror (😨)
- Rating 1: Mild suspense, brief scary moments
- Rating 2: Occasional scary elements, mild horror
- Rating 3: Regular scary content, moderate horror themes
- Rating 4: Significant horror elements, detailed scary content
- Rating 5: Intense horror, graphic scary content, detailed frightening scenes
Age Recommendations
Our age recommendations are based on:
- Online ratings when available
- Publisher recommendations and official age guidelines
- Content analysis of themes, complexity, and maturity level
- Reading level and vocabulary complexity
- Emotional maturity required to understand themes
Why Your Book Received Specific Ratings
Context Matters
A book about war will naturally have higher violence ratings than a contemporary romance. The LRS considers the genre and intended audience when analyzing content.
Frequency and Intensity
A single intense scene might result in a lower overall LRS rating than multiple moderate scenes throughout the book.
Age Appropriateness
The LRS evaluates content relative to the target age group. What's appropriate for a 16-year-old differs significantly from what's appropriate for an 8-year-old.
Educational Value
Books with educational content about difficult topics may receive different LRS ratings than purely entertainment-focused books with similar content.
Appealing a Rating
If you believe an LRS rating is inaccurate, you can:
- Contact us at booklookyllc@gmail.com with specific examples from your book
- Provide context about why you believe the LRS rating should be different
- Include page numbers or specific passages for our review team to examine
- Explain your intended audience and how you believe the content should be interpreted
Our Commitment to Fairness
- Objective Analysis: The LRS uses AI technology to remove human bias and provide consistent evaluation
- Transparent Process: We explain the LRS methodology and provide detailed examples
- Appeal Process: Authors and publishers can request reviews of LRS ratings
- Regular Updates: We continuously improve the LRS based on feedback
- Contextual Understanding: The LRS considers genre, audience, and educational value
For Authors and Publishers
We understand that the Looky Rating System (LRS) can impact book sales and reader accessibility. Our goal is to provide accurate, helpful information that benefits both families and content creators. By working together, we can ensure that readers find books appropriate for their needs while supporting authors in reaching their intended audiences.