Cover of A Work in Progress

A Work in Progress

by Jarrett Lerner

A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner is assigned in US schools at grades 4–8. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where A Work in Progress 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 4–8
Age range
Ages 9–13
First published
2024
Genre
Verse Novel
ISBN-13
9781665905169
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Where to find this book

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About this book

A middle-grade novel in verse following Will, a boy whose body-image struggles spiral into disordered eating, as he slowly finds a path toward honesty and self-acceptance. A tender, hard-hitting story from Jarrett Lerner (content note: depictions of body shaming and disordered eating). A 2026 Colorado Children's Book Award junior-book nominee.

Why widely assigned

This Verse Novel title, typically at grades 4–8. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on mental health and identity; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

mental health · identity · resilience

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is A Work in Progress?
A Work in Progress is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–8. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
What curricula assign A Work in Progress?
A Work in Progress appears on reading lists for Colorado Children's Book Award, Georgia Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is A Work in Progress banned in schools?
A Work in Progress 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.
What themes does A Work in Progress explore?
Central themes in A Work in Progress include mental health, identity, resilience. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

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
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 4–8 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club.