Cover of Refugee

Refugee

by Alan Gratz

Refugee by Alan Gratz is assigned in US schools at grades 5–9, with a Lexile measure of 800L. It appears across 12 curriculum references and 12 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Refugee is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Lexile
800L
Grade range
Grades 5–9
Difficulty for grade
Within the grade 4–5 band (740–1010L)
Age range
Ages 10–15
Pages
352
Reading time
about 6h 25m (est.)
First published
2017
Genre
Historical Fiction
ISBN-13
9780545880831

Reading difficulty: At 800L, Refugee falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 5th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.

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About this book

Three young refugees in three eras — Josef fleeing Nazi Germany in 1939, Isabel leaving Cuba by raft in 1994, and Mahmoud escaping war-torn Syria in 2015 — tell interwoven stories that ultimately connect. A widely assigned middle-grade novel used to build empathy and teach modern and historical refugee crises.

Why widely assigned

This Historical Fiction title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 5–9. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on refugees and survival; cited across 12 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

refugees · survival · family · displacement · empathy

Content notes

war violence · death · peril

Common Sense Media recommends age 11+.

Where this book is assigned

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See all books like Refugee→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Common questions

What grade level is Refugee?
Refugee is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 5–9, with a Lexile measure of 800L. 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 Refugee?
Refugee has a Lexile measure of 800L 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 Refugee?
It takes about 6h 25m to read Refugee (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 Refugee hard to read for 5th grade?
At 800L, Refugee falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 5th 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 Refugee?
Refugee appears on reading lists for Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award, Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award, California Young Reader Medal, and 9 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

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
800L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
Grade band
Grades 5–9 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 12 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 12 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.