Cover of Once There Was

Once There Was

by Kiyash Monsef

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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:William C. Morris YA Debut AwardOdyssey Award (Best Audiobook)

Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. It appears across 2 curriculum references, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Once There Was 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
First published
2023
Genre
Young Adult
ISBN-13
9781398520448

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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Why widely assigned

This Young Adult title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2020s; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Once There Was?
Once There Was 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 Once There Was?
Once There Was appears on reading lists for Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook), William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Once There Was banned in schools?
Once There Was 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

How we classify

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
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.

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