Cover of A Long Hard Journey

A Long Hard Journey

by Pat McKissack · Grades 4–8 · African Americans

A Long Hard Journey by Pat McKissack is on US reading lists at grades 4–8. It appears on 1 list: the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list

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:Coretta Scott King Author Award

This page shows where A Long Hard Journey 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

Grade range
Grades 4–8
Pages
144
Reading time
about 2h 40m (est.)
First published
1989
Genre
African Americans
ISBN-13
9780802768858

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-20; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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New to these terms? Reading levels by grade · What is the Coretta Scott King Award?

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Why it is assigned

This african americans title is typically read at grades 4–8. Written in the 1980s; cited on the Coretta Scott King Author Award.

Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is A Long Hard Journey?
A Long Hard Journey is listed for grades 4–8. It appears on 1 book-award list. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read A Long Hard Journey?
It takes about 2h 40m to read A Long Hard Journey (144 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 160 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign A Long Hard Journey?
A Long Hard Journey appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Author Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is A Long Hard Journey banned in schools?
A Long Hard Journey 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 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 4–8 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner.

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