Expert-ranked reading apps to build comprehension, vocabulary, and a love of chapter books for 8-9 year olds.
Epic! provides access to a library of 40,000+ children's books, audiobooks, and educational videos. $84.99/year or $13.99/month.
SpellingJoy ELA is a voiced, interactive English Language Arts curriculum for ages 5-10. The child plays a ~20-minute daily lesson alone — the AI tutor reads aloud, the child builds words with tappable tiles, reads back (speech recognition), and writes with AI feedback. Phonics-first, standards-aware, a full 36-week year per grade. Parents review the week's work. It is an AI tutor, not a state-accredited program, and is not COPPA/FERPA certified — parental consent and supervision are the parent's responsibility.
Raz-Kids (by Learning A-Z) provides a leveled reading library with 800+ eBooks across 29 levels, audio support, and comprehension quizzes. $132/year for up to 36 students.
IXL is a comprehensive adaptive learning platform covering all subjects from Pre-K through 12th grade.
Newsela adapts real news articles to 5 different reading levels, making current events accessible to students grades 2-12.
Reading Eggs provides a comprehensive reading program for children ages 2-13 with lessons, games, and books.
Lexia Core5 is a research-backed adaptive reading program used in 1 in 4 US schools. Strong focus on Science of Reading principles and early literacy intervention.
SpellingJoy is a 100% free spelling practice platform for K-6 students. Unlimited spelling games, unlimited tests, 134+ word lists, custom list creation, and progress tracking - all completely free with no subscriptions and no hidden costs.
Epic! is the best overall reading app for 3rd graders. It offers 40,000+ books including popular chapter book series, audiobooks, and Read-To-Me features. For leveled reading, Raz-Kids provides 800+ eBooks across 29 levels with comprehension quizzes after every book.
Newsela is the best app for building reading comprehension in 3rd grade. It adapts real news articles to 5 reading levels and includes built-in comprehension quizzes. IXL also offers strong adaptive ELA practice with detailed analytics to track comprehension growth.
Epic! is the best app for chapter books. It has thousands of popular series like Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Kids can read independently or use audiobooks. Up to 4 profiles per family make it easy to share.
SpellingJoy ELA is $19/month and delivers a full 36-week guided ELA year for 3rd grade (ages 8-9). It is fully voiced, so a child can run a ~20-minute daily lesson alone: read-with-me karaoke, build-the-word tiles, read-aloud with speech recognition, and writing with AI feedback, mapped to Common Core standards. Note that it is an AI tutor, not a state-accredited program, and is web-only.
SpellingJoy is 100% free and helps 3rd graders build vocabulary and reading fluency through spelling practice. Lexia Core5 is often available free through schools. Epic! offers a free tier with 1 book per day, and Raz-Kids may be available through your child's classroom.
Epic! is the best overall reading app for 3rd graders, offering the largest library of chapter books, audiobooks, and educational content for independent readers.
For a complete guided year, SpellingJoy ELA ($19/mo) delivers a fully voiced 36-week 3rd grade ELA curriculum: read-with-me karaoke, read-aloud with speech recognition, and writing with AI feedback that an 8-9 year old can run alone. It is an AI tutor, not a state-accredited program.
For targeted comprehension practice, Raz-Kids and Newsela provide leveled content with built-in assessments that track progress over time.
If your child needs intervention support, Lexia Core5 is research-backed and used in 1 in 4 US schools.
Pair any reading app with SpellingJoy for free spelling practice that reinforces 3rd grade vocabulary and builds reading fluency.
About the Author
SpellingJoy Team
The SpellingJoy team is dedicated to creating free, high-quality spelling resources for K-6 students and their families. We test every app we review and provide honest assessments to help parents make informed decisions.