Murder Among Friends
Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming 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 Murder Among Friends 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 14–18
- First published
- 2022
- Genre
- Nonfiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780593177440
Where to find this book
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About this book
A gripping true-crime account of Leopold and Loeb, the brilliant 1920s Chicago teenagers who murdered a child to commit the "perfect crime" — and the famed lawyer who saved them from the death penalty. a 2025-2026 Virginia Readers' Choice (High School) nominee.
Why widely assigned
This Nonfiction title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on crime and justice; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Where this book is assigned
Virginia Readers' Choice
- recommended·9th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice 2025-2026 Award Nominee Lists (Elementary + Middle School)
- recommended·10th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice 2025-2026 Award Nominee Lists (Elementary + Middle School)
- recommended·11th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice 2025-2026 Award Nominee Lists (Elementary + Middle School)
- recommended·12th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice 2025-2026 Award Nominee Lists (Elementary + Middle School)
Similar grade-level books
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
1984George Orwell · 1090L
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like Murder Among Friends→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Murder Among Friends?
- Murder Among Friends 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 Murder Among Friends?
- Murder Among Friends appears on reading lists for Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Murder Among Friends banned in schools?
- Murder Among Friends 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 Murder Among Friends explore?
- Central themes in Murder Among Friends include crime, justice, history. 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 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.