A Separate Peace
by John Knowles
A Separate Peace by John Knowles is assigned in US schools at grades 9–11, with a Lexile measure of 1110L. 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 Separate Peace is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 1110L
- Grade range
- Grades 9–11
- Difficulty for grade
- Within the grade 9–10 band (1050–1335L)
- Age range
- Ages 14–17
- Pages
- 204
- Reading time
- about 3h 45m (est.)
- First published
- 1959
- Genre
- Literary Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780743253970
Reading difficulty: At 1110L, A Separate Peace falls within the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.
Where to find this book
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
At a New Hampshire boarding school during World War II, Gene Forrester narrates his complicated friendship with the athletic, free-spirited Phineas. A common 9th-10th grade American Literature text paired with WWII history units.
Why widely assigned
This Literary Fiction title, reads at high-school literary complexity, typically at grades 9–11. Written in the 1950s; pairs with curriculum units on friendship and rivalry and coming of age in wartime; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
friendship and rivalry · coming of age in wartime · guilt and memory · envy · loss of innocence
Content notes
accidental death · war anxiety
Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.
Where this book is assigned
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
Similar grade-level books
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
1984George Orwell · 1090L
See all books like A Separate Peace→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is A Separate Peace?
- A Separate Peace is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–11, with a Lexile measure of 1110L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of A Separate Peace?
- A Separate Peace has a Lexile measure of 1110L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- How long does it take to read A Separate Peace?
- It takes about 3h 45m to read A Separate Peace (204 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 225 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is A Separate Peace hard to read for 9th grade?
- At 1110L, A Separate Peace falls within the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- What curricula assign A Separate Peace?
- A Separate Peace appears on reading lists for Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 1110L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 9–11 — 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
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.