Cover of Out of the Dust

Out of the Dust

by Karen Hesse · Grades 5–8 · Middle Grade Verse Novel / Historical Fiction

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is assigned in US schools at grades 5–8, with a Lexile measure of 740L. It appears on 4 lists: 2 state standards documents and 2 book-award lists, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Ages 10–14 · Grades 5–8 · Lexile 740L · 240 pages. Content notes: death of parent, death of infant, fire injury (Common Sense Media: 12+). The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780590371254). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Widely assigned — 4 curriculum lists · 1 state

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:Newbery MedalScott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

This page shows where Out of the Dust 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

Lexile
740L
Grade range
Grades 5–8See the list:5th6th7th8th
Listed most for
7th grade (5 of 14 cited list rows)
Difficulty for grade
Within the grade 4–5 band (740–1010L)
Age range
Ages 10–14
Pages
240
Reading time
about 4h 25m (est.)
First published
1997
Genre
Middle Grade Verse Novel / Historical Fiction
ISBN-13
9780590371254

Its Lexile (740L) is higher than 38% of the 77 books with a Lexile on our cited 7th grade lists.

Sources: Lexile from MetaMetrics as recorded in our catalog (method); grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-20; percentile computed from those lists; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

Good fit for grade 7?

If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.

Reading difficulty: At 740L, Out of the Dust falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 5th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.

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New to these terms? What is a Lexile level? · Reading levels by grade · What is the Newbery Medal?

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More like this

Same grade band, chosen by theme and by how many reading lists carry them. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

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About this book

Book facts and sources (4)
Awards won
  • Newbery Medal, 1998 (source: Wikipedia)
  • Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 1998 (source: Wikipedia)
Named in curriculum frameworks
  • Common Core State Standards (ELA) (source: nysed.gov)
  • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) — ELA (source: tea.texas.gov)
Catalog record
First published 1997 · 240 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Out of the Dust→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This middle grade verse novel / historical fiction title reads at middle-grade prose complexity and is typically read at grades 5–8. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on Great Depression and Dust Bowl; cited on 4 lists: 2 state standards documents and 2 book-award lists.

Themes

Great Depression · Dust Bowl · grief and loss · rural Oklahoma · mother-daughter relationship · verse narrative

Content notes

death of parent · death of infant · fire injury · depression / grief

Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

Is Out of the Dust hard to read for 5th grade?
At 740L, Out of the Dust falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 5th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately. For more titles like it, see books like Out of the Dust.
What grade level is Out of the Dust?
Out of the Dust is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 5–8, with a Lexile measure of 740L. It appears on 4 school reading lists across 1 state, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
What is the Lexile level of Out of the Dust?
Out of the Dust has a Lexile measure of 740L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
How long does it take to read Out of the Dust?
It takes about 4h 25m to read Out of the Dust (240 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 265 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Out of the Dust?
Out of the Dust appears on reading lists for Common Core State Standards (ELA), Newbery Medal, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and 1 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

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
740L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
Grade band
Grades 5–8 — drawn from the curriculum sources cited on this page.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 4 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 1 state's 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: award-winner.

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