Chains
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is assigned in US schools at grades 5–9, with a Lexile measure of 780L. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Chains is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 780L
- Grade range
- Grades 5–9
- Difficulty for grade
- Within the grade 4–5 band (740–1010L)
- Age range
- Ages 10–14
- Pages
- 316
- Reading time
- about 5h 50m (est.)
- First published
- 2008
- Genre
- Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)
- ISBN-13
- 9781416905868
Reading difficulty: At 780L, Chains falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 5th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.
Where to find this book
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
As the American Revolution begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel — enslaved and promised a freedom that never comes — is sold to a cruel Loyalist couple in New York City and drawn into spying for the Patriots. Laurie Halse Anderson's first Seeds of America novel weighs Isabel's hope for liberty against a revolution that excludes her. A Scott O'Dell Award winner and National Book Award finalist, it is a frequent grade 5-9 text for studying slavery and the founding era.
Why widely assigned
This Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 5–9. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on slavery and freedom.
Themes
slavery · freedom · resilience · loyalty · revolution
Content notes
slavery · violence · period racism
Where this book is assigned
No curriculum assignments on file yet.
Similar grade-level books
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
1984George Orwell · 1090L
Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury · 890L
See all books like Chains→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Chains?
- Chains is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 5–9, with a Lexile measure of 780L. 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 Chains?
- Chains has a Lexile measure of 780L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- How long does it take to read Chains?
- It takes about 5h 50m to read Chains (316 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 350 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is Chains hard to read for 5th grade?
- At 780L, Chains falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 5th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- Is Chains banned in schools?
- Chains 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
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 780L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 5–9 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Not yet documented in any tracked curriculum.
- 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
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.