Animal Farm
by George Orwell
- Lexile
- 1170L
- Grade range
- Grades 8–12
- Age range
- Ages 13–17
- Pages
- 112
- First published
- 1945
- Genre
- Political Allegory
- ISBN-13
- 9780451526342
About this book
A satirical fable in which farm animals overthrow their human owner and establish a self-governed society, only to see the pigs consolidate power and recreate the tyranny they replaced. Orwell's allegory for the Russian Revolution and Stalin's rise is among the most widely assigned novellas in US middle and high school English classrooms.
Themes
- totalitarianism
- propaganda
- corruption of power
- revolution
- class struggle
Content notes
- violence
- political repression
Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.
Where this book is assigned
AP English Literature & Composition
- recommended· 11th gradesource: AP Lit representative text — allegory unit
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
- recommended· 8th grade · Texassource: TEKS grade 8 commonly taught text
- recommended· 9th gradesource: Common Core aligned summer-reading list — rising 9th grade
- recommended· 9th gradesource: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 9-10 exemplar
Similar grade-level books
Common questions
- What grade level is Animal Farm?
- Animal Farm is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 8–12, with a Lexile measure of 1170L. 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 Animal Farm?
- Animal Farm has a Lexile measure of 1170L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- What curricula assign Animal Farm?
- Animal Farm appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Animal Farm banned in schools?
- Animal Farm 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 Animal Farm explore?
- Central themes in Animal Farm include totalitarianism, propaganda, corruption of power, revolution, class struggle. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.