Cover of Me, the Missing, and the Dead

Me, the Missing, and the Dead

by Jenny Valentine

Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. 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 Me, the Missing, and the Dead 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
Pages
231
Reading time
about 4h 15m (est.)
First published
2009
Genre
Young Adult
ISBN-13
9780061923142

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About this book

Me: Lucas Swain—I'm nearly sixteen years old and live in London. I was fairly normal until the night I found Violet. Then everything changed. The Missing: Dad. He disappeared five years ago. Nobody knows what happened to him, and nobody cares except me. It's enough to drive you crazy. The Dead: That's Violet . . . in the urn. Speaking of crazy—I know she's trying to tell me something, and I think it's about my father. . . . A dead lady may not be much to go on, but my dad's out there somewhere, and it's up to me to find out where.

Why widely assigned

This Young Adult title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2000s; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Me, the Missing, and the Dead?
Me, the Missing, and the Dead 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 Me, the Missing, and the Dead?
It takes about 4h 15m to read Me, the Missing, and the Dead (231 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 255 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Me, the Missing, and the Dead?
Me, the Missing, and the Dead appears on reading lists for William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Me, the Missing, and the Dead banned in schools?
Me, the Missing, and the Dead 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 912 — 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: read-aloud.