Cover of Fighting Words

Fighting Words

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Assigned across 1 curriculum list

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is assigned in US schools at grades 3–10. 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 Fighting Words 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 3–10
Pages
274
Reading time
about 5 hours (est.)
First published
2020
Genre
Children's
ISBN-13
9781984815699
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More formats & details

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About this book

*Newbery Honor Book* *Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor* A nuanced and fierce middle grade novel about sisterhood and sexual abuse, by two-time Newbery Honor winner and #1 New York Times best seller Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, author of The War that Saved My Life "Fighting Words is raw, it is real, it is necessary, a must-read for children and their adults—a total triumph in all ways." —Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s Ten-year-old Della has always had her older sister, Suki: When their mom went to prison, Della had Suki. When their mom's boyfriend took them in, Della had Suki. When that same boyfriend did something so awful they had to run fast, Della had Suki. Suki is Della's own wolf--her protector. But who has been protecting Suki? Della might get tol

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Why widely assigned

This Children's title, typically at grades 3–10. Written in the 2020s; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

Common questions

What grade level is Fighting Words?
Fighting Words is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–10. 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 Fighting Words?
It takes about 5 hours to read Fighting Words (274 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 300 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Fighting Words?
Fighting Words appears on reading lists for Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Fighting Words banned in schools?
Fighting Words 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

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 3–10 — 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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