
Small Spaces
by Katherine Arden · Grades 3–5
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is on US reading lists at grades 3–5. It appears on 7 lists: 7 book-award lists, across 6 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 3–5 · 226 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780525515036). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Among the most widely assigned — 8 curriculum lists · 6 states
#71 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 6 states (2026-07-13 study of 13,258 assignments).
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where Small Spaces 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
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-07-07; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 3?
If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
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About this book
Book facts and sources (7)
- Award won
- William Allen White Children's Book Award, 2021 (source: Wikipedia)
- On award reading lists
- Iowa Children's Choice Award (source: Goodreads)
- Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (source: libraries.vermont.gov)
- Hawai'i Nēnē Award (source: neneaward.org)
- Great Stone Face Book Award (source: librarything.com)
and 2 more in where it is taught
- Catalog record
- First published 2018 · 226 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
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Where this book is recommended
Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Vermontsource: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)
- recommended·5th grade · Vermontsource: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)
Garden State Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·4th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·5th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
Great Stone Face Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·4th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·5th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
Hawai'i Nēnē Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
- recommended·4th grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
- recommended·5th grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
Iowa Children's Choice Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·4th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Vermontsource: Vermont Dept. of Libraries — Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, est. 1957): Vermont's statewide grades 4-8 children's-choice program (students read the nominees and vote). Winner list 1957-2020.
- recommended·4th grade · Vermontsource: Vermont Dept. of Libraries — Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, est. 1957): Vermont's statewide grades 4-8 children's-choice program (students read the nominees and vote). Winner list 1957-2020.
- recommended·5th grade · Vermontsource: Vermont Dept. of Libraries — Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, est. 1957): Vermont's statewide grades 4-8 children's-choice program (students read the nominees and vote). Winner list 1957-2020.
Show 2 more awards & assignmentsShow fewer
William Allen White Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — Kansas's statewide children's-choice program (est. 1952; students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1953-2025 per the William Allen White Award record.
- recommended·4th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — Kansas's statewide children's-choice program (est. 1952; students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1953-2025 per the William Allen White Award record.
- recommended·5th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — Kansas's statewide children's-choice program (est. 1952; students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1953-2025 per the William Allen White Award record.
William Allen White Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award winners (Emporia State University), via Wikipedia — 2021
- recommended·4th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award winners (Emporia State University), via Wikipedia — 2021
- recommended·5th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award winners (Emporia State University), via Wikipedia — 2021
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Common questions
- What grade level is Small Spaces?
- Small Spaces is listed for grades 3–5. It appears on 8 state book-award lists across 6 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Small Spaces?
- It takes about 4h 10m to read Small Spaces (226 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 250 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Small Spaces?
- Small Spaces appears on reading lists for Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, Garden State Children's Book Award, Great Stone Face Book Award, and 4 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Small Spaces banned in schools?
- Small Spaces 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
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 3–5 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 8 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 6 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.