“Perfect read-it-yourself books for 6–9-year-olds” : A literary analysis of the series Jakten på Jack

The aim of the study is to ascertain what characterizes a book classified as easy reading, and how the selected books relate to factors that are regarded as facilitating reading. The study was conducted with the help of a text analysis considering both linguistic and narratological aspects. The material used is the four parts in the series Jakten på Jack, written by Martin Olczak and illustrated by Anna Sandler. The theories on which the study is based are LIX value, the classification levels of the publisher Nypon Förlag, and MTM’s different aspects of what makes books easily read. The result of the study shows that it is not possible to use a calculation of the LIX value to find out how well a book suits a reader at a particular level. Other aspects need to be considered, for example, those found in Nypon Förlag’s levels and via MTM’s website. The results show that tempo and cliffhangers are factors that make reading easier. The illustrations in the books prove to be significant too, since they can help to explain difficult words or events