1980s books assigned in 10th grade
US schools assign 25 books written in the 1980s to 10th grade students, across 3 states, spanning 930L–930L. Every title below is cited from a state ELA standard, district reading list, or AP/IB syllabus.
Most widely assigned from the 1980s
Maus: A Survivor's Tale
Art Spiegelman · on 3 reading lists
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- Titles
- 25
- Written
- 1980–1989
- Lexile range
- 930L–930L
- States assigning
- 3
The list — 1980s, 10th grade
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A Sudden SilenceEve Bunting
Anthony BurnsVirginia Hamilton
Auks, Rocks, and the Odd DinosaurPeggy Thomson
Behind Barbed WireDaniel S. Davis
Chimney SweepsJames Cross Giblin
Don't Look Behind YouLois Duncan
EvaPeter Dickinson
Interstellar PigWilliam Sleator
Izzy, Willy-NillyCynthia Voigt
Master Harold...and the BoysAthol Fugard
Maus: A Survivor's TaleArt Spiegelman
Night KitesM. E. Kerr
Panama CanalJudith St. George
Poverty in AmericaMilton Meltzer
PursuitMichael French
Say Goodnight, GracieJulie Reece Deaver
Stranger with My FaceLois Duncan
The DarkangelMeredith Ann Pierce
The Face at the Edge of the WorldEve Bunting
The Honorable PrisonLyll Becerra de Jenkins
The Illustrated Dinosaur DictionaryHelen Roney Sattler
The Joy Luck ClubAmy Tan · 930L
The Man in the WoodsRosemary Wells
The Truth TrapFrances A. Miller
Show all 25 titles
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- The Weaver's Gift · Kathryn Lasky
Most-assigned 1980s authors in 10th grade
Eve Bunting (2) · Lois Duncan (2) · Virginia Hamilton · James Cross Giblin · William Sleator · Cynthia Voigt
Common questions
- How many 1980s books are assigned in 10th grade?
- 25 books written between 1980 and 1989 appear on 10th grade reading lists tracked by ReadingList. Each one is cited from a state department of education, district list, or AP/IB syllabus.
- What Lexile range do these 1980s books cover?
- Lexile measures for the 1980s titles assigned in 10th grade run from 930L to 930L. Poetry, drama, and graphic novels without a published Lexile measure are not counted in that range.
- Are these assigned nationally or in a few states?
- 3 states assign at least one 1980s title at 10th grade in the lists tracked here, so this is a broad pattern rather than a single state's canon. Per-state lists are on each state page.