What grade level is Curveball?

Curveball is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–5. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.

What curricula assign Curveball?

Curveball appears on reading lists for Sunshine State Young Readers Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Is Curveball banned in schools?

Curveball 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 Curveball explore?

Central themes in Curveball include friendship, perseverance, family. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

Curveball

Name: Curveball
Availability: InStock
Author: Pablo Cartaya
ISBN: 9781368089265

by Pablo Cartaya

Curveball by Pablo Cartaya is assigned in US schools at grades 3–5. 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 Curveball 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 3–5
Age range: Ages 8–11
First published: 2024
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel
ISBN-13: 9781368089265

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About this book

When a knee injury sidelines Elena Rueda from the sport she loves, she discovers joy in pursuits without winners — like live-action role-playing with her brother Benji — and learns that friendship and fun matter most. Pablo Cartaya's character-driven grades 3-5 graphic novel is a 2026-2027 Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Florida) nominee.

Why widely assigned

This Middle Grade Graphic Novel title, typically at grades 3–5. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on friendship and perseverance; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

friendship · perseverance · family

Where this book is assigned

Sunshine State Young Readers Award

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Curveball→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Common questions

What grade level is Curveball?: Curveball is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–5. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
What curricula assign Curveball?: Curveball appears on reading lists for Sunshine State Young Readers Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Curveball banned in schools?: Curveball 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 Curveball explore?: Central themes in Curveball include friendship, perseverance, family. 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 3–5 — 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.