
Breaking Boxes
by A. M. Jenkins
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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 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).
Breaking Boxes by A. M. Jenkins is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Breaking Boxes 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 9–12
- Age range
- Ages 14–17
- Pages
- 182
- Reading time
- about 3h 20m (est.)
- First published
- 1997
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780385325134
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
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See all books like Breaking Boxes→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on friendship and brothers; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
Where this book is assigned
California Young Reader Medal
- recommended·9th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2000 winner (Young Adult)
- recommended·10th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2000 winner (Young Adult)
- recommended·11th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2000 winner (Young Adult)
- recommended·12th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2000 winner (Young Adult)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Breaking Boxes?
- Breaking Boxes is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. 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 Breaking Boxes?
- It takes about 3h 20m to read Breaking Boxes (182 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 200 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Breaking Boxes?
- Breaking Boxes appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Breaking Boxes banned in schools?
- Breaking Boxes 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 Breaking Boxes explore?
- Central themes in Breaking Boxes include friendship, brothers. 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 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 9–12 — 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
- Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.