Cover of Day of Tears

Day of Tears

by Julius Lester

Assigned across 1 curriculum list

On reading-award lists:Coretta Scott King Author Award

Day of Tears by Julius Lester is assigned in US schools at grades 7–12. 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 Day of Tears 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 7–12
Pages
200
Reading time
about 3h 40m (est.)
First published
2005

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade · What is the Coretta Scott King Award?

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About this book

Through flashbacks, foreshadowing, and shifting first-person points of view, readers will travel with Emma and others through time and space. They come to discover that every decision has its consequences, and final judgment is passed down not by man, but by his maker.

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Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Day of Tears?
Day of Tears is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 7–12. 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 Day of Tears?
It takes about 3h 40m to read Day of Tears (200 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 220 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Day of Tears?
Day of Tears appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Author Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Day of Tears banned in schools?
Day of Tears 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

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 7–12 — 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: award-winner.

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