Removing the Frustration of Learning to Read™

Reading should be an adventure, not a battle.

SARA’s Books brings the joy back to learning to read — through stories, science, and a little bit of magic.

2 in 3

fourth graders read below grade level.

Phonics-first instruction leaves millions of children behind. There is a better way.

The Story Behind the Method

A Father’s Journey

The Oldest

My oldest daughter demanded literacy. Before she turned three, she would climb into my lap with a book and refuse to leave until we’d read it — twice. By four she could spell words aloud, but every method for sounding words out left her frustrated. Then, mid-story one day, she reached an unfamiliar word and simply named its letters: “We all P-L-A-Y…?” I said “play,” and she read on without missing a beat. That exchange — name the letters, hear the word, keep reading — became the EAR method. Within weeks she was reading chapter books.

The Son

My son was different. He could name every letter by age four, but at five he still confused b and d, and would slowly recite a word’s letters out of order even while dragging his finger left to right. Watching him sent me deep into dyslexia research — and convinced me the method needed to become software. The first Read by EAR prototypes were built for him, tracking his sight vocabulary word by word as it grew.

A Shared Struggle

Reading has never come easily for me either. I share something with my son — a brain that processes text differently. But I refused to let that be a limitation. I taught myself to code and built those first prototypes while working full-time. Then I enrolled at Salt Lake Community College, transferred to the University of Utah, and in 2020 earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric Studies.

The Youngest

My youngest child grew up alongside the software. The matching activity at the heart of Read by EAR — spotting the one real word among convincing look-alikes — originated with her, and the most sophisticated prototypes, in many variants, were built and rebuilt while she was learning to read. Everything her siblings’ journeys had taught me came together in the tools she used.

All three of my children tested above the 90th percentile in reading proficiency.
That’s not a miracle. It’s a method.

The EAR Method: Four Steps to Fluency

Engaged Aided Reading turns every reading moment into a learning opportunity.

Pause

When your child encounters an unfamiliar word, they pause.

Name the Letters

They identify each letter by name, focusing attention on the word’s exact letter sequence.

Hear the Word

A parent, teacher, or the app provides the correct pronunciation.

Continue Reading

They resume reading fluently, with the new word added to memory.

Explore the full EAR methodology →

The Research Behind the Results

1.6

average exposures to learn a new sight word

vs. the 4–14 typically needed

15–49

new sight words learned in 45 days

per student in pilot study

10+

years of research and development behind the method

For Parents

Stop the homework battles. Start seeing progress.

No more guessing games — your child reads fluently from day one
Track real progress with words-learned-per-session data
Works alongside school curriculum, not against it
Free to start — no sign-up required

Start Reading Free

For Teachers

Know exactly what every student knows — in real time.

See which words each student has mastered and which need practice
Assign personalized reading based on individual fluency levels
Reduce assessment overhead with automatic progress tracking
Grounded in cognitive neuroscience and aligned with Universal Design for Learning

Schedule a Demo

Go Deeper

The EAR Method

Explore the science and research behind Engaged Aided Reading.

Essays & Research

Read our thinking on literacy, neurodiversity, and learning through play.

Every child deserves to experience the joy of reading fluently.

Start Reading Now Schedule a Literacy Consultation