Cover of Amos & Boris

Amos & Boris

by William Steig

Audible trial: new members only. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

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).

Amos & Boris by William Steig is assigned in US schools at grades 2–3. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Amos & Boris 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 2–3
Age range
Ages 7–8
Pages
32
Reading time
about 35 minutes (est.)
First published
1971
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780140502299

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. Pricing, Prime, and trial terms shown on Amazon.

About this book

Befriended by a whale as he is drowning in the ocean, a mouse gets a chance to reciprocate years later in an equally unlikely situation.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Amos & Boris→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 2–3. Written in the 1970s; pairs with curriculum units on mice, fiction and whales, fiction; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

mice, fiction · whales, fiction · friendship, fiction · whales

Where this book is assigned

Was this page helpful?

Common questions

What grade level is Amos & Boris?
Amos & Boris is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 2–3. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read Amos & Boris?
It takes about 35 minutes to read Amos & Boris (32 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 35 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Amos & Boris?
Amos & Boris appears on reading lists for Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Amos & Boris banned in schools?
Amos & Boris 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 Amos & Boris explore?
Central themes in Amos & Boris include mice, fiction, whales, fiction, friendship, fiction, whales. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

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 2–3 — 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
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.

Keep browsing