
Game Changer
by Tommy Greenwald · Grades 5–8 · Sports Fiction
Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald is on US reading lists at grades 5–8. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 3 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 10–13 · Grades 5–8. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781683353928). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 3 states
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where Game Changer 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 5–8
- Age range
- Ages 10–13
- First published
- 2018
- Genre
- Sports Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781683353928
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-11; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 5?
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
More formats & details
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About this book
Book facts and sources (3)
- On award reading lists
- Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards (source: library.la.gov)
- Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award (source: nutmegaward.org)
- Kentucky Bluegrass Award (source: kasl.us)
- Catalog record
- First published 2018 (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like Game Changer→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This sports fiction title is typically read at grades 5–8. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on football and injury; cited on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists.
Themes
football · injury · truth
Where this book is recommended
Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award
- recommended·5th grade · Connecticutsource: Connecticut Library Association + Connecticut Association of School Librarians — Nutmeg Book Award (student-choice; Elementary/Intermediate/Middle/Teen; annual since 1993)
- recommended·6th grade · Connecticutsource: Connecticut Library Association + Connecticut Association of School Librarians — Nutmeg Book Award (student-choice; Elementary/Intermediate/Middle/Teen; annual since 1993)
- recommended·7th grade · Connecticutsource: Connecticut Library Association + Connecticut Association of School Librarians — Nutmeg Book Award (student-choice; Elementary/Intermediate/Middle/Teen; annual since 1993)
- recommended·8th grade · Connecticutsource: Connecticut Library Association + Connecticut Association of School Librarians — Nutmeg Book Award (student-choice; Elementary/Intermediate/Middle/Teen; annual since 1993)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
- recommended·5th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle (grades 3-5 + 6-8; annual since 1983)
- recommended·6th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle (grades 3-5 + 6-8; annual since 1983)
- recommended·7th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle (grades 3-5 + 6-8; annual since 1983)
- recommended·8th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle (grades 3-5 + 6-8; annual since 1983)
Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards
- recommended·5th grade · Louisianasource: State Library of Louisiana / Louisiana Center for the Book — Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual)
- recommended·6th grade · Louisianasource: State Library of Louisiana / Louisiana Center for the Book — Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual)
- recommended·7th grade · Louisianasource: State Library of Louisiana / Louisiana Center for the Book — Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual)
- recommended·8th grade · Louisianasource: State Library of Louisiana / Louisiana Center for the Book — Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Game Changer?
- Game Changer is listed for grades 5–8. It appears on 3 state book-award lists across 3 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- What curricula assign Game Changer?
- Game Changer appears on reading lists for Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award, Kentucky Bluegrass Award, Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Game Changer banned in schools?
- Game Changer 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 Game Changer explore?
- Central themes in Game Changer include football, injury, truth.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
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 5–8 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 3 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.