
Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade
Audible trial: new members only. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.
Among the most widely assigned — 10 curriculum lists · 10 states
#69 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 6 states (2026-07-13 study of 13,258 assignments).
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe DeClements is assigned in US schools at grades 3–6. It appears across 10 curriculum references and 10 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. Pricing, Prime, and trial terms shown on Amazon.
Similar grade-level books
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
Two DogsIan Falconer
The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins · 810L
HatchetGary Paulsen · 1020L
See all books like Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Where this book is assigned
Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Alabamasource: Winner, Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award 1983, grades 4-6. Given by the Alabama State Department of Education, Library Media. Winner (not nominee); verified against the award archive 2026-09-04.
- recommended·5th grade · Alabamasource: Winner, Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award 1983, grades 4-6. Given by the Alabama State Department of Education, Library Media. Winner (not nominee); verified against the award archive 2026-09-04.
- recommended·6th grade · Alabamasource: Winner, Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award 1983, grades 4-6. Given by the Alabama State Department of Education, Library Media. Winner (not nominee); verified against the award archive 2026-09-04.
Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Ohiosource: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)
- recommended·5th grade · Ohiosource: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)
- recommended·6th grade · Ohiosource: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)
California Young Reader Medal
- recommended·3rd grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 1986 winner (Intermediate)
- recommended·4th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 1986 winner (Intermediate)
- recommended·5th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 1986 winner (Intermediate)
- recommended·6th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 1986 winner (Intermediate)
Hawai'i Nēnē Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
- recommended·4th grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
- recommended·5th grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
- recommended·6th grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
Iowa Children's Choice Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 1984
- recommended·4th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 1984
- recommended·5th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 1984
- recommended·6th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 1984
Land of Enchantment Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · New Mexicosource: Land of Enchantment Book Award committee (NM Library Association) — official list of past winners 1981-2021 and 2026 winners — 1985 winner
- recommended·5th grade · New Mexicosource: Land of Enchantment Book Award committee (NM Library Association) — official list of past winners 1981-2021 and 2026 winners — 1985 winner
- recommended·6th grade · New Mexicosource: Land of Enchantment Book Award committee (NM Library Association) — official list of past winners 1981-2021 and 2026 winners — 1985 winner
Show 4 more awards & assignmentsShow fewer
Nebraska Golden Sower Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
- recommended·4th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
- recommended·5th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
- recommended·6th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · North Dakotasource: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award past winners — 1988 winner
- recommended·5th grade · North Dakotasource: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award past winners — 1988 winner
- recommended·6th grade · North Dakotasource: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award past winners — 1988 winner
- recommended·7th grade · North Dakotasource: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award past winners — 1988 winner
Texas Bluebonnet Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Texassource: Texas Library Association — Texas Bluebonnet Award past winners, 1984 winner (grades 3-6)
- recommended·4th grade · Texassource: Texas Library Association — Texas Bluebonnet Award past winners, 1984 winner (grades 3-6)
- recommended·5th grade · Texassource: Texas Library Association — Texas Bluebonnet Award past winners, 1984 winner (grades 3-6)
- recommended·6th grade · Texassource: Texas Library Association — Texas Bluebonnet Award past winners, 1984 winner (grades 3-6)
Wisconsin Golden Archer Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Wisconsinsource: Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association — Golden Archer Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Middle/Junior High; annual since 1974)
- recommended·4th grade · Wisconsinsource: Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association — Golden Archer Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Middle/Junior High; annual since 1974)
- recommended·5th grade · Wisconsinsource: Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association — Golden Archer Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Middle/Junior High; annual since 1974)
- recommended·6th grade · Wisconsinsource: Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association — Golden Archer Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Middle/Junior High; annual since 1974)
Was this page helpful?
Common questions
- What grade level is Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade?
- Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–6. It appears on 10 school reading lists across 10 states, from grade 3 to grade 7. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade?
- It takes about 2h 40m to read Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade (146 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 160 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade?
- Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade appears on reading lists for Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award, Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award, California Young Reader Medal, and 7 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade banned in schools?
- Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
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 3–6 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 10 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 10 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.