Not Nothing
by Gayle Forman · Grades 4–8 · Middle Grade Fiction
Not Nothing by Gayle Forman is on US reading lists at grades 4–8. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 3 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 9–13 · Grades 4–8 · 288 pages. Content notes: Holocaust, violence. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9781665943277). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 3 states
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where Not Nothing is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades 4–8
- Age range
- Ages 9–13
- Pages
- 288
- Reading time
- about 5h 15m (est.)
- First published
- 2024
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781665943277
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-11; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
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About this book
Book facts and sources (3)
- On award reading lists
- Mississippi Magnolia Book Award (source: aquila.usm.edu)
- Great Stone Face Book Award (source: librarything.com)
- Maine Student Book Award (source: sites.google.com)
- Catalog record
- First published 2024 · 288 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like Not Nothing→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This middle grade fiction title is typically read at grades 4–8. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on redemption and friendship; cited on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists.
Themes
redemption · friendship · history · empathy
Content notes
Holocaust · violence
Where this book is recommended
Great Stone Face Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·5th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·6th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·7th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·8th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
Maine Student Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Mainesource: 2025-2026 Maine Student Book Award Reading List (grades 4-8)
- recommended·5th grade · Mainesource: 2025-2026 Maine Student Book Award Reading List (grades 4-8)
- recommended·6th grade · Mainesource: 2025-2026 Maine Student Book Award Reading List (grades 4-8)
- recommended·7th grade · Mainesource: 2025-2026 Maine Student Book Award Reading List (grades 4-8)
- recommended·8th grade · Mainesource: 2025-2026 Maine Student Book Award Reading List (grades 4-8)
Mississippi Magnolia Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Mississippisource: Mississippi Library Association / USM — 2026 Magnolia Book Awards nominees (student-choice; PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 divisions)
- recommended·4th grade · Mississippisource: Mississippi Library Association / USM — 2026 Magnolia Book Awards nominees (student-choice; PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 divisions)
- recommended·5th grade · Mississippisource: Mississippi Library Association / USM — 2026 Magnolia Book Awards nominees (student-choice; PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 divisions)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Not Nothing?
- Not Nothing is listed for grades 4–8. It appears on 3 state book-award lists across 3 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Not Nothing?
- It takes about 5h 15m to read Not Nothing (288 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 315 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Not Nothing?
- Not Nothing appears on reading lists for Great Stone Face Book Award, Maine Student Book Award, Mississippi Magnolia Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Not Nothing banned in schools?
- Not Nothing 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 Not Nothing explore?
- Central themes in Not Nothing include redemption, friendship, history, empathy.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
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 4–8 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 3 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.