Hurt Go Happy
by Ginny Rorby
Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby is assigned in US schools at grades 7–10. 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 Hurt Go Happy 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 7–10
- Pages
- 270
- Reading time
- about 4h 55m (est.)
- First published
- 2010
- ISBN-13
- 9781429909372
Where to find this book
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About this book
Thirteen-year-old Joey Willis is used to being left out of conversations. Though she's been deaf since the age of six, Joey's mother has never allowed her to learn sign language. She strains to read the lips of those around her, but often fails. Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly begins to learn to sign. Spending time with Charlie and Sukari, Joey has never been happier. She even starts making friends at school for the first time. But as Joey's world blooms with possibilities, Charlie's and Sukari's choices begin to narrow—until Sukari's very survival is in doubt.
Where this book is assigned
Schneider Family Book Award
- recommended·7th gradesource: Schneider Family Book Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2008 Schneider Family Book Award
- recommended·8th gradesource: Schneider Family Book Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2008 Schneider Family Book Award
- recommended·9th gradesource: Schneider Family Book Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2008 Schneider Family Book Award
- recommended·10th gradesource: Schneider Family Book Award winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2008 Schneider Family Book Award
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Common questions
- What grade level is Hurt Go Happy?
- Hurt Go Happy is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 7–10. 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 Hurt Go Happy?
- It takes about 4h 55m to read Hurt Go Happy (270 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 295 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Hurt Go Happy?
- Hurt Go Happy appears on reading lists for Schneider Family Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Hurt Go Happy banned in schools?
- Hurt Go Happy 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 7–10 — 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: award-winner.