Pax
by Sara Pennypacker
Pax by Sara Pennypacker is assigned in US schools at grades 4–7, with a Lexile measure of 760L. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Pax is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 760L
- Grade range
- Grades 4–7
- Difficulty for grade
- Within the grade 4–5 band (740–1010L)
- Age range
- Ages 8–12
- Pages
- 288
- Reading time
- about 5h 15m (est.)
- First published
- 2016
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780062377036
Reading difficulty: At 760L, Pax falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.
Where to find this book
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
When war forces his father to enlist, twelve-year-old Peter is made to release his tame fox, Pax, into the wild — and then sets out to find him again. Sara Pennypacker alternates between boy and fox in a story about loyalty, the costs of war, and the bond between them. Widely assigned in grades 4-7, it is a common read-aloud and novel-study choice for its emotional depth and dual perspective.
Why widely assigned
This Middle Grade Fiction title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 4–7. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on friendship and war.
Themes
friendship · war · loyalty · nature · loss
Content notes
war · animal peril
Where this book is assigned
No curriculum assignments on file yet.
Similar grade-level books
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
See all books like Pax→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Pax?
- Pax is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–7, with a Lexile measure of 760L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of Pax?
- Pax has a Lexile measure of 760L 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 Pax?
- It takes about 5h 15m to read Pax (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.
- Is Pax hard to read for 4th grade?
- At 760L, Pax falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th 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.
- Is Pax banned in schools?
- Pax 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
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 760L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 4–7 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Not yet documented in any tracked curriculum.
- 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
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.