Cover of Rifles for Watie

Rifles for Watie

by Harold Keith

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list

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 Medal

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith is assigned in US schools at grades 5–9. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Rifles for Watie 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 5–9
Age range
Ages 10–14
Pages
332
Reading time
about 6h 5m (est.)
First published
1957
Genre
Historical Fiction
ISBN-13
9780833519344

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

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

Kansas sixteen-year-old Jeff Bussey is thrilled to join the Union army so he can fight against the Confederates, but he faces a difficult decision when he is sent to infiltrate enemy forces as a spy.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Rifles for Watie→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Historical Fiction title, typically at grades 5–9. Written in the 1950s; pairs with curriculum units on united states civil war, 1861-1865 and history; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

united states civil war, 1861-1865 · history · wars, 1862-1865 · child soldiers

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Rifles for Watie?
Rifles for Watie is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 5–9. 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 Rifles for Watie?
It takes about 6h 5m to read Rifles for Watie (332 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 365 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Rifles for Watie?
Rifles for Watie appears on reading lists for Newbery Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Rifles for Watie banned in schools?
Rifles for Watie 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 Rifles for Watie explore?
Central themes in Rifles for Watie include united states civil war, 1861-1865, history, wars, 1862-1865, child soldiers. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

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 5–9 — 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
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.

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