Cover of Heroes

Heroes

by Alan Gratz · Grades 6–8 · Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)

Heroes by Alan Gratz is on US reading lists at grades 6–8. It appears on 4 lists: 4 book-award lists, across 4 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Ages 11–14 · Grades 6–8 · 219 pages. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9781338736076). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Widely assigned — 4 curriculum lists · 4 states

#100 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 4 states (2026-07-13 study of 13,258 assignments).

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:Great Stone Face Book AwardBuckeye Children's & Teen Book AwardVolunteer State Book AwardSunshine State Young Readers Award

This page shows where Heroes 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 6–8
Age range
Ages 11–14
Pages
219
Reading time
about 4 hours (est.)
First published
2024
Genre
Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)
ISBN-13
9781338736076

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-12; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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About this book

Book facts and sources (4)
On award reading lists
Catalog record
First published 2024 · 219 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

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

Why widely assigned

This historical fiction (middle grade) title is typically read at grades 6–8. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on courage and friendship; cited on 4 lists: 4 book-award lists.

Themes

courage · friendship · history

Where this book is recommended

Heroes by the numbers: pages, reading time and where it is listed, on Book Statistics.

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Common questions

What grade level is Heroes?
Heroes is listed for grades 6–8. It appears on 4 state book-award lists across 4 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Heroes?
It takes about 4 hours to read Heroes (219 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 240 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Heroes?
Heroes appears on reading lists for Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award, Great Stone Face Book Award, Sunshine State Young Readers Award, and 1 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Heroes banned in schools?
Heroes 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 Heroes explore?
Central themes in Heroes include courage, friendship, history.

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 6–8 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 4 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
On state book-award lists in 4 states (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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