Maus: A Survivor's Tale
by Art Spiegelman
Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Maus: A Survivor's Tale is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Age range
- Ages 14–18
- Pages
- 296
- Reading time
- about 5h 25m (est.)
- First published
- 1986
- Genre
- Graphic Novel / Memoir
- ISBN-13
- 9780394747231
Where to find this book
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About this book
A Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel in which Spiegelman recounts his father Vladek's survival of Auschwitz, with Jews drawn as mice and Nazis as cats. Maus is one of the most widely assigned graphic novels in US high schools and a frequent subject of district-level reconsideration challenges over its depiction of Holocaust violence and a single panel of nudity.
Why widely assigned
This Graphic Novel / Memoir title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on Holocaust and intergenerational trauma; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
Holocaust · intergenerational trauma · memory and history · father-son relationship · graphic narrative · survival
Content notes
Holocaust violence · suicide (referenced) · nudity (one panel) · antisemitic violence
Common Sense Media recommends age 13+.
Where this book is assigned
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Common questions
- What grade level is Maus: A Survivor's Tale?
- Maus: A Survivor's Tale is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- How long does it take to read Maus: A Survivor's Tale?
- It takes about 5h 25m to read Maus: A Survivor's Tale (296 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 325 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Maus: A Survivor's Tale?
- Maus: A Survivor's Tale appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Maus: A Survivor's Tale banned in schools?
- Maus: A Survivor's Tale has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 5 states (FL, IA, MO, TN, TX) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
- What themes does Maus: A Survivor's Tale explore?
- Central themes in Maus: A Survivor's Tale include Holocaust, intergenerational trauma, memory and history, father-son relationship, graphic narrative. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- Documented as challenged or removed in 5 states per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.