Say What?
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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 2 states
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix is assigned in US schools at grades 2–8. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Say What? 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 2–8
- Age range
- Ages 7–13
- Pages
- 91
- Reading time
- about 1h 40m (est.)
- First published
- 2004
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781435298842
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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See all books like Say What?→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 2–8. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on terms and phrases and conduct of life; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
terms and phrases · conduct of life · human behavior · english language
Where this book is assigned
Great Lakes Great Books Award
- recommended·2nd grade · Michigansource: Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) — Michigan's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 2-82-34-): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·3rd grade · Michigansource: Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) — Michigan's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 2-82-34-): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·4th grade · Michigansource: Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) — Michigan's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 2-82-34-): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Michigansource: Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) — Michigan's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 2-82-34-): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Michigansource: Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) — Michigan's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 2-82-34-): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·7th grade · Michigansource: Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) — Michigan's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 2-82-34-): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·8th grade · Michigansource: Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) — Michigan's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 2-82-34-): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
Virginia Readers' Choice
- recommended·3rd grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2005-2006 winner (Elementary)
- recommended·4th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2005-2006 winner (Elementary)
- recommended·5th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2005-2006 winner (Elementary)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Say What??
- Say What? is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 2–8. It appears on 2 school reading lists across 2 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Say What??
- It takes about 1h 40m to read Say What? (91 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 100 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Say What??
- Say What? appears on reading lists for Great Lakes Great Books Award, Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Say What? banned in schools?
- Say What? 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 Say What? explore?
- Central themes in Say What? include terms and phrases, conduct of life, human behavior, english language.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
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 2–8 — 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
- Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks 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.