Cover of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

by Sharon Bell Mathis

Assigned across 2 curriculum lists

Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis is assigned in US schools at grades 4–8. 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 Ray Charles 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 4–8
Pages
48
Reading time
about 55 minutes (est.)
First published
1973
Genre
Biography & Autobiography
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About this book

As a young boy he fell in love with music, and as a man, the world fell in love with his music. Ray Charles and his soulful, passionate rhythms and melodies have been embraced around the world for decades.Now, in this beautiful new edition of an award-winning biography, readers can follow Charles from his boyhood, when he lost his sight and learned to read and write music in Braille, until the age of 40, when he had become a world-renowned jazz and blues musician packing auditoriums and stadiums.And in a new introduction and afterword, the author updates Charles's life to the present. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

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Why widely assigned

This Biography & Autobiography title, typically at grades 4–8. Written in the 1970s; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.

Where this book is assigned

Common questions

What grade level is Ray Charles?
Ray Charles is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–8. 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 Ray Charles?
It takes about 55 minutes to read Ray Charles (48 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 55 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Ray Charles?
Ray Charles appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Author Award, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Ray Charles banned in schools?
Ray Charles 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
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 4–8 — 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: award-winner, read-aloud.
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