A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith · Grades 9–12 · Literary Fiction
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is a book for readers at grades 9–12. No school reading list we track includes it yet.
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Before you buy: Grades 9–12 · 443 pages. Content notes: alcoholism, attempted sexual assault. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9780060736262). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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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 the grade level, length and editions of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. No school reading list we track includes it yet. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Pages
- 443
- Reading time
- about 8h 5m (est.)
- First published
- 1943
- Genre
- Literary Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780060736262
Sources: pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
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
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
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Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
See all books like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Who it suits
This literary fiction title is typically read at grades 9–12. Written in the 1940s; pairs with curriculum units on poverty and coming of age.
Themes
poverty · coming of age · education · family · immigrant life
Content notes
alcoholism · attempted sexual assault
Where this book is assigned
No curriculum assignments on file yet.
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Common questions
- What grade level is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a book for readers in grades 9–12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
- It takes about 8h 5m to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (443 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 485 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn banned in schools?
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 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. See the banned books list by state.
- What themes does A Tree Grows in Brooklyn explore?
- Central themes in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn include poverty, coming of age, education, family, immigrant life.
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 9–12 — drawn from the curriculum sources cited on this page.
- Curriculum alignment
- Not yet documented in any tracked curriculum.
- 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
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.