Bad News for Outlaws
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson · Grades 3–7
Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson is on US reading lists at grades 3–7. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 3–7 · 52 pages. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9780822567646). 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).
This page shows where Bad News for Outlaws 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 3–7
- Pages
- 52
- Reading time
- about 55 minutes (est.)
- First published
- 2009
- ISBN-13
- 9780822567646
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-20; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 3?
If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade · What is the Coretta Scott King Award?
More formats & details
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About this book
Book facts and sources (2)
- Award won
- Coretta Scott King Author Award, 2010 (source: Wikipedia)
- On award reading lists
- Garden State Children's Book Award (source: njla.org)
- Catalog record
- First published 2009 · 52 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
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See all books like Bad News for Outlaws→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Where this book is recommended
Coretta Scott King Author Award
- recommended·3rd gradesource: Coretta Scott King Author Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 CSK Author Award
- recommended·4th gradesource: Coretta Scott King Author Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 CSK Author Award
- recommended·5th gradesource: Coretta Scott King Author Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 CSK Author Award
- recommended·6th gradesource: Coretta Scott King Author Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 CSK Author Award
- recommended·7th gradesource: Coretta Scott King Author Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 CSK Author Award
- recommended·8th gradesource: Coretta Scott King Author Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2010 winner
Garden State Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·4th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·5th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·6th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·7th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Bad News for Outlaws?
- Bad News for Outlaws is listed for grades 3–7. It appears on 2 book-award lists across 1 state, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Bad News for Outlaws?
- It takes about 55 minutes to read Bad News for Outlaws (52 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 55 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Bad News for Outlaws?
- Bad News for Outlaws appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Author Award, Garden State Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Bad News for Outlaws banned in schools?
- Bad News for Outlaws 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 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 3–7 — 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.