Cover of An American Story

An American Story

by Kwame Alexander · Grades K–3 · Social Science

An American Story by Kwame Alexander is on US reading lists at grades k–3. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Grades K–3 · 56 pages. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9780316473125). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 1 state

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:Garden State Children's Book AwardCoretta Scott King Illustrator Award

This page shows where An American Story 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 K–3
Pages
56
Reading time
about 1 hour (est.)
First published
2023
Genre
Social Science
ISBN-13
9780316473125

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-21; 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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About this book

Book facts and sources (2)
Award won
  • Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, 2024 (source: Wikipedia)
On award reading lists
  • Garden State Children's Book Award (source: njla.org)
Catalog record
First published 2023 · 56 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

See all books like An American Story→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why it is assigned

This social science title is typically read at grades k–3. Written in the 2020s; cited on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists.

Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is An American Story?
An American Story is listed for grades K–3. It appears on 2 book-award lists across 1 state, from kindergarten to grade 5. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read An American Story?
It takes about 1 hour to read An American Story (56 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 60 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign An American Story?
An American Story appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, Garden State Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is An American Story banned in schools?
An American Story 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 K–3 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
On state book-award lists in 1 state (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club, read-aloud.

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