What grade level is Flying Solo?

Flying Solo is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–6. 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 Flying Solo?

It takes about 2h 30m to read Flying Solo (138 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 150 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.

What curricula assign Flying Solo?

Flying Solo appears on reading lists for Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Is Flying Solo banned in schools?

Flying Solo 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 Flying Solo explore?

Central themes in Flying Solo include death, elective mutism, schools, teachers. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

Flying Solo

Name: Flying Solo
Availability: InStock
Author: Ralph J. Fletcher
ISBN: 9780440416012

by Ralph J. Fletcher

Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state

On reading-award lists:Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award

Flying Solo by Ralph J. Fletcher is assigned in US schools at grades 4–6. 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 Flying Solo 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 4–6
Age range: Ages 9–11
Pages: 138
Reading time: about 2h 30m (est.)
First published: 1998
Genre: Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13: 9780440416012

More formats & details

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About this book

When the substitute for Mr. "Fab" Fabiano never shows up and his sixth-grade students are on their own, they set out to prove that they can run the class by themselves. With a little ingenuity and some careful planning, they might just succeed. But when a fight breaks out between Bastian Fauvell and Rachel White over a classmate, Tommy Feathers, who died six months earlier, everything begins to fall apart. Can Rachel deal with the anxieties that plunged her into silence the day Tommy died? Inventive and uniquely constructed, "Flying Solo" follows Mr.

Similar grade-level books

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

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 4–6. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on death and elective mutism; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

death · elective mutism · schools · teachers

Where this book is assigned

Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award

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Common questions

What grade level is Flying Solo?: Flying Solo is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–6. 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 Flying Solo?: It takes about 2h 30m to read Flying Solo (138 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 150 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Flying Solo?: Flying Solo appears on reading lists for Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Flying Solo banned in schools?: Flying Solo 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 Flying Solo explore?: Central themes in Flying Solo include death, elective mutism, schools, teachers. 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 4–6 — 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.