New Jersey 10th grade reading list

Books with a New Jersey citation for 10th grade include A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Alchemy and Meggy Swann and Aru Shah and the End of Time. This list has 511 total books, 9 of them with a New Jersey-specific citation. Each book shows its reading level and a cited source. Lexile levels on the list run from 530L to 1170L.

Top New Jersey 10th grade pick: A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold) by Natalie Lloyd — on 1 New Jersey list

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Total books511Lexile530L–1170LSourceNJ Student Learning Standards✓ sources cited per book

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).

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

Our pick to start — most-cited for New Jersey 10th grade

These are the 9 titles named in New Jersey’s own curriculum documents for this grade — everything below is the wider national list. Read against the Common Core Appendix A complexity band; reading level is not thematic maturity, and several sit below the band because they are assigned for discussion.

  1. A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold)

    Natalie Lloyd

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  2. Alchemy and Meggy Swann

    Karen Cushman

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  3. Aru Shah and the End of Time

    Roshani Chokshi

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 12.

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  4. Chinese Menu

    Grace Lin

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  5. Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

    Laurie Ann Thompson

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 3 to 10.

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  6. Iron Hearted Violet

    Kelly Barnhill

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 12.

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  7. Noah Webster and His Words

    Jeri Ferris

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 4 to 10.

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  8. Root Magic

    Eden Royce

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 12.

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  9. Savvy

    Ingrid Law

    Cited in 1 New Jersey curriculum document and 1 national reference, taught from grade 5 to 12.

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9 books cited for New Jersey 10th grade

Assignments tied directly to New Jersey’s NJ Student Learning Standards with a New Jersey-specific citation.

502 additional grade-appropriate books for 10th grade readers

The 511-book total above includes 9 titles with direct New Jersey citation; these 502 additional titles cover 10th grade in the broader canon. They don't have a New Jersey-specific citation yet but are commonly taught at this level.

Show all 502 titles

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Other New Jersey grades

9th grade · 11th grade · 8th grade · 12th grade

Reading lists by grade (all states)

9th grade · 11th grade · 8th grade · 12th grade

Same 10th grade in other states

California · Texas · Florida · New York · Pennsylvania · Illinois

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About the New Jersey 10th grade reading list

This list combines books cited in NJ Student Learning Standards with books from national sources that list titles for 10th grade: 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 William C. Morris YA Debut Award and the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook). ReadingList currently tracks 511 titles for 10th grade in New Jersey, of which 9 carry a direct New Jersey citation and 502 are grade-appropriate titles whose reading level overlaps 10th grade. Across the list, Lexile measures span 530L–1170L.

10th grade sits in the 9-12 grade band, where students are high-school readers. At this stage the emphasis is on close reading, literary analysis, rhetoric, and preparing for AP, IB, and college coursework. Assigned reading skews toward canonical literature, drama, poetry, and AP/IB set texts, with text complexity that, per Common Core’s Appendix A reading bands, typically falls around roughly 900L to 1300L. Measured against that 1050–1335L range, of the 24 titles here with a Lexile score 6 are grade-level, 18 are more accessible (often assigned for theme over challenge), and 0 are stretch texts that may need scaffolding. Because readers in a single 10th grade classroom can span several hundred Lexile points, this list is best read as a starting point rather than a fixed requirement.

New Jersey’s English Language Arts requirements are set by NJ Student Learning Standards (nj.gov). Most states pair their own standards with the Common Core text-complexity framework. The 10th grade list below blends New Jersey-specific assignments with widely taught national titles. Every title links to its primary source on the book’s detail page, so you can confirm exactly where and why it is assigned.

How to use this list:match a title to your child’s most recent Lexile or guided-reading level rather than to the grade alone. Teachers building a 10th grade unit can pair a New Jersey-cited core text with a grade-appropriate companion novel; parents previewing summer or supplemental reading can check each book’s content notes and challenge history before assigning it.

Common questions

What books do 10th grade students read in New Jersey?
Books with a New Jersey-specific citation for 10th grade include A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Aru Shah and the End of Time, Chinese Menu and Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah. Individual schools and districts choose their own titles, so check with your child's teacher for the exact list.
How many books are assigned to 10th grade students in New Jersey?
This list has 511 books for 10th grade students in New Jersey. 9 of them have a New Jersey-specific citation; the other 502 are grade-appropriate titles from national reading lists and awards.
What's the Lexile range for 10th grade reading in New Jersey?
Lexile measures across the 10th grade New Jersey reading list range from 530L to 1170L. Books without a published Lexile (poetry, drama, picture books) are not included in this range.
Where does this reading list come from?
New Jersey-specific entries reference NJ Student Learning Standards (published at www.nj.gov). The other books come from national sources that list books for 10th grade: 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 William C. Morris YA Debut Award and the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook). Each book's page links the primary source for every listing.

Reading guides for parents

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State-specific entries sourced from www.nj.gov. National references cited on each book’s detail page.

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