Cover of Life of Pi

Life of Pi

by Yann Martel

Assigned across 1 curriculum list

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 830L. 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 Life of Pi 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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Lexile
830L
Grade range
Grades 9–12
Difficulty for grade
Below the grade 9–10 band (1050–1335L)
Age range
Ages 14–18
Pages
336
Reading time
about 6h 10m (est.)
First published
2001
Genre
Literary Fiction
ISBN-13
9780156027328

Reading difficulty: At 830L, Life of Pi reads below the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge.

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New to these terms? What is a Lexile level? · Reading levels by grade

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About this book

After a shipwreck, a teenage boy named Pi Patel survives 227 days adrift in a lifeboat in the Pacific — sharing it with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. When rescuers doubt his account, Pi offers a second, harsher version, leaving the reader to choose which to believe. The Booker Prize winner is a common grades 9-12 text for its themes of survival, faith, and the power of storytelling.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Life of Pi→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Literary Fiction title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on survival and religion; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

survival · religion · storytelling · identity

Content notes

peril · violence · animal death

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Life of Pi?
Life of Pi is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 830L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
What is the Lexile level of Life of Pi?
Life of Pi has a Lexile measure of 830L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
How long does it take to read Life of Pi?
It takes about 6h 10m to read Life of Pi (336 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 370 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
Is Life of Pi hard to read for 9th grade?
At 830L, Life of Pi reads below the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
What curricula assign Life of Pi?
Life of Pi appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

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
830L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
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
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
No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.

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