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Cover of A Handful of Stars

A Handful of Stars

by Cynthia Lord

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 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).

On reading-award lists:Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord is assigned in US schools at grades 3–8. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where A Handful of Stars is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 3–8
Age range
Ages 8–13
Pages
188
Reading time
about 3h 25m (est.)
First published
2015
Genre
Nonfiction
ISBN-13
9780545700276

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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Similar grade-level books

See all books like A Handful of Stars→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Nonfiction title, typically at grades 3–8. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on grandparent and child and blind dogs; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

grandparent and child · blind dogs · grandparents · hispanic americans

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is A Handful of Stars?
A Handful of Stars is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–8. It appears on 1 school reading list across 1 state. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read A Handful of Stars?
It takes about 3h 25m to read A Handful of Stars (188 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 205 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign A Handful of Stars?
A Handful of Stars appears on reading lists for Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is A Handful of Stars banned in schools?
A Handful of Stars has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 1 state (FL) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
What themes does A Handful of Stars explore?
Central themes in A Handful of Stars include grandparent and child, blind dogs, grandparents, hispanic americans.

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
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 3–8 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
Documented as challenged or removed in 1 state per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club.

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