My older child still struggles to read. Is it too late to catch up?

It is not too late. Older children and teens can make real gains, and often faster than younger ones, because they bring more language and motivation, as long as the teaching goes back to the exact sound and spelling skills that were missed rather than just assigning harder books. The tricky part is doing that without materials that feel babyish.

If your reader started later, what worked: a tutor who went right back to the basics, decodable books written for older readers, short daily practice, something else? And what do you wish you had started sooner?

Lillory places a reader at the skill they are actually on, not their age or grade, so an older child practices what they need without the picture-book feel.