
A First Time for Everything
by Dan Santat · Grades 4–8
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat is on US reading lists at grades 4–8. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 4–8 · 322 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781250322098). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 1 state
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where A First Time for Everything is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-07-02; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 4?
If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
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About this book
Book facts and sources (2)
- Award won
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature, 2023 (source: Wikipedia)
- On award reading lists
- Charlotte Award (source: nysreading.org)
- Catalog record
- First published 2023 · 322 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
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The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like A First Time for Everything→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Where this book is recommended
Charlotte Award
- recommended·4th grade · New Yorksource: New York State Reading Association — Charlotte Award winner (official 'History of NYSRA Charlotte Winners' 1990-2025 PDF, nysreading.org/Charlotte-Awards, fetched 2026-07-02)
- recommended·5th grade · New Yorksource: New York State Reading Association — Charlotte Award winner (official 'History of NYSRA Charlotte Winners' 1990-2025 PDF, nysreading.org/Charlotte-Awards, fetched 2026-07-02)
- recommended·6th grade · New Yorksource: New York State Reading Association — Charlotte Award winner (official 'History of NYSRA Charlotte Winners' 1990-2025 PDF, nysreading.org/Charlotte-Awards, fetched 2026-07-02)
- recommended·7th grade · New Yorksource: New York State Reading Association — Charlotte Award winner (official 'History of NYSRA Charlotte Winners' 1990-2025 PDF, nysreading.org/Charlotte-Awards, fetched 2026-07-02)
- recommended·8th grade · New Yorksource: New York State Reading Association — Charlotte Award winner (official 'History of NYSRA Charlotte Winners' 1990-2025 PDF, nysreading.org/Charlotte-Awards, fetched 2026-07-02)
National Book Award for Young People's Literature
- recommended·4th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2023 winner
- recommended·5th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2023 winner
- recommended·6th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2023 winner
- recommended·7th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2023 winner
- recommended·8th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2023 winner
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Common questions
- What grade level is A First Time for Everything?
- A First Time for Everything is listed for grades 4–8. It appears on 2 book-award lists across 1 state. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read A First Time for Everything?
- It takes about 5h 55m to read A First Time for Everything (322 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 355 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign A First Time for Everything?
- A First Time for Everything appears on reading lists for Charlotte Award, National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is A First Time for Everything banned in schools?
- A First Time for Everything does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 4–8 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 1 state (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.