Onyx & Beyond
by Amber McBride
Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride is assigned in US schools at grades 3–6. 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 Onyx & Beyond 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 3–6
- Age range
- Ages 8–12
- Pages
- 199
- Reading time
- about 3h 40m (est.)
- First published
- 2024
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781250908773
Where to find this book
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About this book
A middle-grade novel in verse about a boy named Onyx whose mother is living with early-onset Alzheimer's. Amber McBride writes a tender story about love, memory, and holding on to family. Selected for the 2026 Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (grades 3-5), chosen each year by the Oklahoma Library Association.
Why widely assigned
This Middle Grade Fiction title, typically at grades 3–6. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on family and memory; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Content notes
illness in family
Where this book is assigned
Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Oklahomasource: 2026 Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (Oklahoma Library Association)
- recommended·4th grade · Oklahomasource: 2026 Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (Oklahoma Library Association)
- recommended·5th grade · Oklahomasource: 2026 Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (Oklahoma Library Association)
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See all books like Onyx & Beyond→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Onyx & Beyond?
- Onyx & Beyond is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–6. 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 Onyx & Beyond?
- It takes about 3h 40m to read Onyx & Beyond (199 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 220 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Onyx & Beyond?
- Onyx & Beyond appears on reading lists for Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Onyx & Beyond banned in schools?
- Onyx & Beyond 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 Onyx & Beyond explore?
- Central themes in Onyx & Beyond include family, memory, love. 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 3–6 — 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.