9th grade reading list

9th grade students (ages 14–15) in US schools are commonly assigned 843 books from state ELA curricula and national sources: Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) and the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and the William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Each title links to its grade citations.

Your state’s 9th grade list:

Most assigned for 9th grade: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins — on 14 reading lists

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Reading difficulty: the typical 9th grade text-complexity band is 1050–1335L (Common Core Appendix A). Of the 52 titles here with a Lexile score, 13 are grade-level, 39 are more accessible (often chosen for theme over reading challenge), and 0 are stretch texts. Match a book to your reader’s measured Lexile rather than to the grade alone.

Most-assigned on state lists: across every US state’s official reading and award lists, the High (9–12) titles appearing in the most states are The Hate U Give (4 states), Their Eyes Were Watching God (3 states), and The Great Gatsby (2 states). From our 2026 study of 13,258 source-cited assignments (as of 2026-07-13).

Our pick to start — the most-cited 9th grade titles

Ranked by how many curricula actually cite each title for this grade, then read against the Common Core Appendix A complexity band. Reading level is not the same as thematic maturity — several of these sit below the band and are assigned for discussion.

  1. The Hunger Games

    Suzanne Collins

    Cited in 14 curricula across 13 states, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers authoritarianism, survival, media and spectacle. At 810L it reads well below the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  2. The Fault in Our Stars

    John Green

    Cited in 11 curricula across 9 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers mortality, grief and love. At 850L it sits just under the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  3. The Hate U Give

    Angie Thomas

    Cited in 10 curricula across 6 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers police violence, race and code-switching. At 590L it reads well below the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  4. The Maze Runner

    James Dashner

    Cited in 7 curricula across 7 states, taught from grade 7 to 12. Covers survival, memory and friendship.

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  5. Divergent

    Veronica Roth

    Cited in 7 curricula across 6 states, taught from grade 8 to 12. Covers identity, choice and courage.

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  6. The Poet X

    Elizabeth Acevedo

    Cited in 7 curricula across 2 states, taught from grade 8 to 12. Covers identity, coming of age and family. At 800L it reads well below the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  7. I Must Betray You

    Ruta Sepetys

    Cited in 6 curricula across 6 states, taught from grade 9 to 12.

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  8. Eleanor & Park

    Rainbow Rowell

    Cited in 6 curricula across 4 states, taught from grade 4 to 9.

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  9. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    Sherman Alexie

    Cited in 6 curricula, taught from grade 7 to 10. Covers Native American identity, poverty and racism. At 600L it reads well below the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  10. Refugee

    Alan Gratz

    Cited in 5 curricula across 9 states, taught from grade 5 to 9. Covers refugees, survival and family. At 800L it reads well below the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  11. Scythe

    Neal Shusterman

    Cited in 5 curricula across 5 states, taught from grade 7 to 12. Covers mortality, power and ethics.

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  12. Twilight

    Stephenie Meyer

    Cited in 5 curricula across 5 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers series:luz_e_escuridão, series:twilight and new york times bestseller.

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  13. Firekeeper's Daughter

    Angeline Boulley

    Cited in 5 curricula across 4 states, taught from grade 9 to 12.

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  14. I'll Give You the Sun

    Jandy Nelson

    Cited in 5 curricula across 4 states, taught from grade 9 to 12.

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  15. Red Queen

    Victoria Aveyard

    Cited in 5 curricula across 4 states, taught from grade 9 to 12.

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  16. Children of Blood and Bone

    Tomi Adeyemi

    Cited in 5 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 5 to 12.

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  17. All My Rage

    Sabaa Tahir

    Cited in 5 curricula across 2 states, taught from grade 9 to 12.

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  18. Everything, Everything

    Nicola Yoon

    Cited in 4 curricula across 4 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers chronically ill children, parent and teenager, love.

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  19. The Inheritance Games

    Jennifer Lynn Barnes

    Cited in 4 curricula across 4 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers new york times bestseller.

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  20. Promise Boys

    Nick Brooks

    Cited in 4 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  21. Speak

    Laurie Halse Anderson

    Cited in 4 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 8 to 10. Covers sexual assault and recovery, voice and silence, mental health. At 690L it reads well below the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  22. To Kill a Mockingbird

    Harper Lee

    Cited in 4 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 7 to 10. Covers racial injustice, moral courage and childhood innocence. At 870L it sits just under the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  23. March Book Three

    John Lewis

    Cited in 4 curricula, taught from grade 9 to 12.

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  24. Divine Rivals

    Rebecca Ross

    Cited in 3 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers love, war and courage.

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  25. Eragon

    Christopher Paolini

    Cited in 3 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 6 to 9. Covers dragons, destiny and courage.

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  26. Good Girl's Guide to Murder

    Holly Jackson

    Cited in 3 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers murder--fiction., mystery and detective stories., murder, fiction.

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  27. Lord of the Flies

    William Golding

    Cited in 3 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers civilization vs savagery, loss of innocence and power. At 770L it reads well below the 1050–1335L band for this grade.

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  28. My Sister's Keeper

    Jodi Picoult

    Cited in 3 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers jodi picoult, movie tie-in and adult.

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  29. The Sun is Also a Star

    Nicola Yoon

    Cited in 3 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 9 to 12. Covers deportation, social issues and immigrants.

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  30. Unwind

    Neal Shusterman

    Cited in 3 curricula across 3 states, taught from grade 8 to 12. Covers justice, survival and identity.

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843 books with a 9th grade citation

Titles whose grade range covers 9th grade in a state ELA curriculum or a national list (Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475), the Common Core State Standards (ELA) and the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction).

Show all 843 titles

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Also on a celebrity book club list

On this list and among the most challenged books in US schools in 2025–2026 (PEN America): Sold, Speak, Looking for Alaska, Thirteen Reasons Why, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Fault in Our Stars.
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Narrow by curriculum

Full curriculum guides: Common Core State Standards (ELA) · IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature · Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) · AP English Language & Composition · AP English Literature & Composition · AP European History · AP Psychology

Grade lists overlap more than they look: the median assigned book is taught across four grade levels, so a title here may well appear a year either side.

Cross-check by state

Some titles are cited nationally, others only in one state’s standards. These 23 states have cited 9th grade assignments:

Browse 9th grade by theme

Browse 9th grade by genre

Browse 9th grade by decade

When a book was written changes what it asks of a reader. These 6 decades have cited 9th grade assignments:

Readers who liked…

Books like these 9th grade favorites:

17 more “books like” lists for 9th grade
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Frequently asked questions

What books do 9th grade students read in US schools?

843 books are commonly assigned to 9th grade students across US schools. They come from state curricula and national sources: Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) and the Common Core State Standards (ELA), plus awards such as the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and the William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Each title on this page links to its full curriculum citations.

How many books are on the 9th grade reading list?

This page lists 843 9th grade titles, of which 843 have a verified state or national curriculum citation at the 9th grade level.

Are these 9th grade books in Common Core?

Many 9th grade books on this list appear in the Common Core State Standards Appendix B exemplar texts. Each book card links to its full citation history including which states + curricula reference it. Look for the "Common Core" tag on individual book pages.

How do I pick a 9th grade book for my student?

Narrow the list using the curriculum and state links above. Each book page shows its grade range, themes, and which curricula list it. For homeschool or differentiation, books with overlapping grade ranges (±2 grades) work for 9th grade students.

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