Cover of The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

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Among the most widely assigned — 23 curriculum lists · 21 states

#18 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 14 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:Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice AwardMaine Student Book AwardVermont Golden Dome Book AwardCharlotte Award+18 more

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is assigned in US schools at grades 6–9, with a Lexile measure of 810L. It appears across 23 curriculum references and 21 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 Hunger Games is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Lexile
810L
AR (ATOS)
AR 5.3 · 15 pts
Grade range
Grades 6–9
Difficulty for grade
Below the grade 6–8 band (925–1185L)
Age range
Ages 11–15
Pages
374
Reading time
about 6h 50m (est.)
First published
2008
Genre
Young Adult Dystopian
ISBN-13
9780439023528

Reading difficulty: At 810L, The Hunger Games 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.

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

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About this book

In a future North America of twelve impoverished districts dominated by a wealthy capital, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers as tribute for a televised survival tournament in which only one of twenty-four teens can live. Collins's novel anchors many middle-school dystopian units and is the first of the best-selling trilogy.

Part of a series — read in order

Get the Hunger Games box set

the original trilogy in one box set (3 of 5 books in this series).

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Similar grade-level books

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

Why widely assigned

This Young Adult Dystopian title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 6–9. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on authoritarianism and survival; cited across 23 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

authoritarianism · survival · media and spectacle · class inequality · adolescent agency · sacrifice

Content notes

violence (teens killing teens) · death of a child (implied) · starvation · trauma

Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.

Where this book is assigned

Show 18 more awards & assignments

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

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Common questions

What grade level is The Hunger Games?
The Hunger Games is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 6–9, with a Lexile measure of 810L. It appears on 24 school reading lists across 21 states, from grade 6 to grade 12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
What reading level is The Hunger Games?
The Hunger Games has a Lexile measure of 810L, an ATOS (Accelerated Reader) book level of 5.3, a typical US assignment range of grades 6–9. The AR quiz is worth 15 points at an interest level of middle grades plus (6+). 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 Hunger Games?
The Hunger Games has a Lexile measure of 810L 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 Hunger Games?
It takes about 6h 50m to read The Hunger Games (374 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 410 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
Is The Hunger Games hard to read for 6th grade?
At 810L, The Hunger Games 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
810L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
AR (ATOS) book level
5.3 — 15 AR points, interest level middle grades plus (6+). Sourced from Renaissance’s AR BookFinder (quiz no. 123740), matched on exact title and author. ATOS and Lexile are separate scales and do not convert.
Grade band
Grades 6–9 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 24 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 21 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
Documented as challenged or removed in 4 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, independent, read-aloud, summer.

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