Cover of Barber Shop Chronicles

Barber Shop Chronicles

by Inua Ellams

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).

Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams is assigned in US schools at grades 11–12. 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 Barber Shop Chronicles is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

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Grade range
Grades 11–12
Age range
Ages 16–17
Pages
80
Reading time
about 1h 30m (est.)
First published
2017
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9781350281714

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

"Inua Ellams' Barber Shop Chronicles is a generously funny, heart-warming and insightful new play set in five African cities, Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos, Accra, and in London." - -Publisher's description.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Barber Shop Chronicles→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 11–12. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on barbershops and drama; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

barbershops · drama · hairdressing

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Barber Shop Chronicles?
Barber Shop Chronicles is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 11–12. 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 Barber Shop Chronicles?
It takes about 1h 30m to read Barber Shop Chronicles (80 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 90 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Barber Shop Chronicles?
Barber Shop Chronicles appears on reading lists for Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Barber Shop Chronicles banned in schools?
Barber Shop Chronicles 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 Barber Shop Chronicles explore?
Central themes in Barber Shop Chronicles include barbershops, drama, hairdressing. 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 11–12 — 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
Tagged for: Paper 1 Section A (Drama).

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