Cover of The Giver

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

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 — 18 curriculum lists · 22 states

#8 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 20 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).

On reading-award lists:Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania)Newbery MedalVirginia Readers' ChoicePacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award+12 more

The Giver by Lois Lowry is assigned in US schools at grades 6–8, with a Lexile measure of 760L. It appears across 18 curriculum references and 22 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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

Lexile
760L
AR (ATOS)
AR 5.7 · 7 pts
Grade range
Grades 6–8
Difficulty for grade
Below the grade 6–8 band (925–1185L)
Age range
Ages 11–14
Pages
179
Reading time
about 3h 15m (est.)
First published
1993
Genre
Dystopian Fiction
ISBN-13
9780544336261

Reading difficulty: At 760L, The Giver reads below the typical 925–1185L text-complexity range for 6th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge.

Reading below grade level? Kids who struggle with the print version often finish the assigned book by listening — try the audiobook free with an Audible trial. Affiliate link · trial for new members.

New to these terms? What is a Lexile level? · Reading levels by grade · What is the Newbery Medal?

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.

About this book

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a community that has eliminated pain, conflict, and choice. When he is selected to receive the memories of the world as it used to be, he begins to understand what his society has given up. The Newbery Medal winner is a standard middle-school introduction to dystopian fiction and a frequent Common Core grade 6–7 text.

Part of a series — read in order

Similar grade-level books

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

Why widely assigned

This Dystopian Fiction title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 6–8. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on conformity vs individuality and memory; cited across 18 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

conformity vs individuality · memory · utopia and dystopia · coming of age · freedom of choice

Content notes

euthanasia (implied and described) · infanticide (implied)

Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.

Where this book is assigned

Show 13 more awards & assignments

The Giver by the numbers: pages, reading time and where it is listed, on Book Statistics.

Was this page helpful?

Common questions

What grade level is The Giver?
The Giver is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 6–8, with a Lexile measure of 760L. It appears on 19 school reading lists across 22 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
What reading level is The Giver?
The Giver has a Lexile measure of 760L, an ATOS (Accelerated Reader) book level of 5.7, a typical US assignment range of grades 6–8. The AR quiz is worth 7 points at an interest level of middle grades (4–8). Lexile is published by MetaMetrics and the ATOS level by Renaissance; they are different scales, so the two numbers are not interchangeable.
What is the Lexile level of The Giver?
The Giver has a Lexile measure of 760L 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 The Giver?
It takes about 3h 15m to read The Giver (179 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 195 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
Is The Giver hard to read for 6th grade?
At 760L, The Giver reads below the typical 925–1185L text-complexity range for 6th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
760L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
AR (ATOS) book level
5.7 — 7 AR points, interest level middle grades (4–8). Sourced from Renaissance’s AR BookFinder (quiz no. 8568), matched on exact title and author. ATOS and Lexile are separate scales and do not convert.
Grade band
Grades 6–8 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 19 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 22 states ELA frameworks 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 — see the full banned & challenged books list.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club, read-aloud, summer.

Keep browsing

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: