Picture books for children up to the age of eight typically have 1000 words (though many are shorter); easy readers for ages five to nine have 50–2500 words (depending on the publisher and level of reader); chapter books (short novels for ages seven to ten) typically have 10,000–12,000 words; and middle grade novels (ages eight to twelve) typically have 10,000–12,000 words. Longer word count books are becoming more common for older readers. In general, the longer the word count, the more complex the language used and the more mature the content. For example, Young Adult (YA) fiction is usually written with 15,000 words or more as a standard length because that's enough text to contain complicated plots and sophisticated language while still being read by teenagers. In fact, some YA novels are even longer than 20,000 words because writers want their stories to be complete without having to use up all their words. When choosing a book for your child, it's important to take word count into account. Many families choose books based solely on their genre or author name, which can be problematic because many books fit under more than one category. For example, a picture book for young children may also be considered an easy reader because it uses simple language and illustrations to tell a story. If you select this book then your five-year-old won't get much reading practice beyond basic comprehension skills. A chapter book on the other hand will require more advanced reading skills such as understanding metaphors and using context clues to interpret meaning.