Maus: A Survivor's Tale
by Art Spiegelman
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Age range
- Ages 14–18
- Pages
- 296
- First published
- 1986
- Genre
- Graphic Novel / Memoir
- ISBN-13
- 9780394747231
Where to find this book
About this book
A Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel in which Spiegelman recounts his father Vladek's survival of Auschwitz, with Jews drawn as mice and Nazis as cats. Maus is one of the most widely assigned graphic novels in US high schools and a frequent subject of district-level reconsideration challenges over its depiction of Holocaust violence and a single panel of nudity.
Themes
- Holocaust
- intergenerational trauma
- memory and history
- father-son relationship
- graphic narrative
- survival
Content notes
- Holocaust violence
- suicide (referenced)
- nudity (one panel)
- antisemitic violence
Common Sense Media recommends age 13+.
Where this book is assigned
AP English Literature & Composition
- recommended· 11th gradesource: AP Lit graphic-novel representative text
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
- recommended· 9th gradesource: CCSS ELA grades 9-10 Holocaust unit graphic-novel exemplar
- recommended· 10th gradesource: CCSS ELA grades 9-10 Holocaust unit graphic-novel exemplar
- recommended· 10th grade · Texassource: TEKS English II Holocaust literature option
Similar grade-level books
Common questions
- What grade level is Maus: A Survivor's Tale?
- Maus: A Survivor's Tale 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.
- What curricula assign Maus: A Survivor's Tale?
- Maus: A Survivor's Tale appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Maus: A Survivor's Tale banned in schools?
- Maus: A Survivor's Tale has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 4 states (TN, TX, FL, MO) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
- What themes does Maus: A Survivor's Tale explore?
- Central themes in Maus: A Survivor's Tale include Holocaust, intergenerational trauma, memory and history, father-son relationship, graphic narrative. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
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 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula 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
- Documented as challenged or removed in 4 states per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.