Cover of Day of Tears

Day of Tears

by Julius Lester · Grades 7–12

Day of Tears by Julius Lester is on US reading lists at grades 7–12. It appears on 1 list: the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Grades 7–12 · 200 pages. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9780786804900). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:Coretta Scott King Author Award

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.

Reading level at a glance

Grade range
Grades 7–12
Pages
200
Reading time
about 3h 40m (est.)
First published
2005
ISBN-13
9780786804900

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-20; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

Good fit for grade 4?

If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.

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

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Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is Day of Tears?
Day of Tears is listed for grades 7–12. It appears on 1 book-award list, from grade 4 to grade 12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
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 the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where recommended” 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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