Cover of Down Sand Mountain

Down Sand Mountain

by Steve Watkins

Assigned across 1 curriculum list

On reading-award lists:Golden Kite Award

Down Sand Mountain by Steve Watkins is assigned in US schools at grades 4–9. 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 Down Sand Mountain 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 4–9
Pages
334
Reading time
about 6h 5m (est.)
First published
2011
Genre
Children's
ISBN-13
9780763654313

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

In a tale full of humor and poignancy, a sheltered twelve-year-old boy comes of age in a small Florida mining town amid the changing mores of the 1960s. It's 1966 and Dewey Turner is determined to start the school year right. No more being the brunt of every joke. No more "Deweyitis." But after he stains his face with shoe polish trying to mimic the popular Shoeshine Boy at the minstrel show, he begins seventh grade on an even lower rung, earning the nickname Sambo and being barred from the "whites only" bathroom. The only person willing to talk to him, besides his older brother, Wayne, is fellow outsider Darla Turkel, who wears her hair like Shirley Temple and sings and dances like her, too. Through their friendship, Dewey gains awareness of issues bigger than himself and bigger than his

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Why widely assigned

This Children's title, typically at grades 4–9. Written in the 2010s; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Down Sand Mountain?
Down Sand Mountain is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–9. 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 Down Sand Mountain?
It takes about 6h 5m to read Down Sand Mountain (334 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 365 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Down Sand Mountain?
Down Sand Mountain appears on reading lists for Golden Kite Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Down Sand Mountain banned in schools?
Down Sand Mountain 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 4–9 — 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: read-aloud.

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