Cover of Jumping the Nail

Jumping the Nail

by Eve Bunting

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state

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:Virginia Readers' Choice

Jumping the Nail by Eve Bunting is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. 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 Jumping the Nail 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 9–12
Age range
Ages 14–17
Pages
172
Reading time
about 3h 10m (est.)
First published
1991
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780152413576

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

Summary:When a group of teenagers in a coastal California community challenge each other to "Jump the Nail" - leap from dangerous cliffs into the ocean-group pressure and manipulative relationships quickly drive the game out of control.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Jumping the Nail→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on peer pressure and california, fiction; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

peer pressure · california, fiction · peer pressure, fiction · adolescence, fiction

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Jumping the Nail?
Jumping the Nail is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. 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 Jumping the Nail?
It takes about 3h 10m to read Jumping the Nail (172 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 190 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Jumping the Nail?
Jumping the Nail appears on reading lists for Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Jumping the Nail banned in schools?
Jumping the Nail 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 Jumping the Nail explore?
Central themes in Jumping the Nail include peer pressure, california, fiction, peer pressure, fiction, adolescence, fiction. 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 9–12 — 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.

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