Other Words for Home

About this book

Jude leaves an increasingly dangerous Syria for Cincinnati with her mother, leaving her father and brother behind, and must build a new life as a Middle Eastern girl in America. Jasmine Warga's Newbery Honor novel in verse explores immigration, family, and belonging, and is widely assigned in grades 4-7.

Why widely assigned

This Verse Novel title, reads at young-adult to upper-middle-grade complexity, typically at grades 4–7. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on immigration and family; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.

Where this book is assigned

• Garden State Children's Book Award

  • recommended·4th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
  • recommended·5th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
  • recommended·6th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
  • recommended·7th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)

• Great Stone Face Book Award

  • recommended·4th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
  • recommended·5th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
  • recommended·6th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
  • recommended·7th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.

Similar grade-level books

• 
  The Diary of a Young Girl
  Anne Frank · 1080L
• 
  The Giver
  Lois Lowry · 760L
• 
  The Outsiders
  S.E. Hinton · 750L
• 
  To Kill a Mockingbird
  Harper Lee · 870L

See all books like Other Words for Home→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Common questions

What grade level is Other Words for Home?

Other Words for Home is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–7, with a Lexile measure of 930L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.

What is the Lexile level of Other Words for Home?

Other Words for Home has a Lexile measure of 930L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.

How long does it take to read Other Words for Home?

It takes about 6h 25m to read Other Words for Home (352 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 385 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.

Is Other Words for Home hard to read for 4th grade?

At 930L, Other Words for Home falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.

What curricula assign Other Words for Home?

Other Words for Home appears on reading lists for Garden State Children's Book Award, Great Stone Face Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.