Control Freaks
by J.E. Thomas
Control Freaks by J.E. Thomas is assigned in US schools at grades 6–8. 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 Control Freaks 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 6–8
- Age range
- Ages 11–14
- First published
- 2023
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781646143054
Where to find this book
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About this book
Seventh-grader Frederick Douglass Zezzmer is sure he can win his school's epic STEM-arts-sports competition — until he's paired with four middle-school misfits no one else wants. With a week to go, Doug sets out to turn a team of outcasts into winners, and maybe friends. J.E. Thomas's warm grades 6-8 novel is a 2025-2026 Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Florida) nominee.
Why widely assigned
This Middle Grade Fiction title, typically at grades 6–8. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on friendship and perseverance; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
friendship · perseverance · school · identity
Where this book is assigned
Sunshine State Young Readers Award
- recommended·6th grade · Floridasource: Sunshine State Young Readers Award 2025-2026 Master List (Grades 6-8)
- recommended·7th grade · Floridasource: Sunshine State Young Readers Award 2025-2026 Master List (Grades 6-8)
- recommended·8th grade · Floridasource: Sunshine State Young Readers Award 2025-2026 Master List (Grades 6-8)
Similar grade-level books
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
See all books like Control Freaks→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Control Freaks?
- Control Freaks is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 6–8. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What curricula assign Control Freaks?
- Control Freaks appears on reading lists for Sunshine State Young Readers Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Control Freaks banned in schools?
- Control Freaks 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 Control Freaks explore?
- Central themes in Control Freaks include friendship, perseverance, school, identity. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
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
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 6–8 — 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.