Cover of Downriver

Downriver

by Will Hobbs

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state

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:California Young Reader Medal

Downriver by Will Hobbs is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. 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 Downriver 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 9–12
Age range
Ages 14–17
Pages
204
Reading time
about 3h 45m (est.)
First published
1991
Genre
Adventure
ISBN-13
9780440226734

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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Similar grade-level books

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

Why widely assigned

This Adventure title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on survival and outward bound schools; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

survival · outward bound schools · wilderness survival · white-water canoeing

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Downriver?
Downriver is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. 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 Downriver?
It takes about 3h 45m to read Downriver (204 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 225 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Downriver?
Downriver appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Downriver banned in schools?
Downriver 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 Downriver explore?
Central themes in Downriver include survival, outward bound schools, wilderness survival, white-water canoeing. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

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 9–12 — 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
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.

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