
Song of a Blackbird
by Maria van Lieshout · Grades 3–8 · Children's
Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout is on US reading lists at grades 3–8. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 3–8. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9781761181795). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 1 state
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 Song of a Blackbird 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
- Grade range
- Grades 3–8
- First published
- 2025
- Genre
- Children's
- ISBN-13
- 9781761181795
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-07-02; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 3?
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More formats & details
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About this book
Book facts and sources (2)
- On award reading lists
- Golden Kite Award (source: Wikipedia)
- Great Lakes Great Books Award (source: michiganreading.org)
- Catalog record
- First published 2025 (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like Song of a Blackbird→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why it is assigned
This children's title is typically read at grades 3–8. Written in the 2020s; cited on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists.
Where this book is recommended
Golden Kite Award
- recommended·3rd gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2025 Winner
- recommended·4th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2025 Winner
- recommended·5th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2025 Winner
- recommended·6th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2025 Winner
- recommended·7th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2025 Winner
- recommended·8th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2025 Winner
Great Lakes Great Books Award
- recommended·9th grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award 2026-27 nominee (official GLGBA nominee press release + nominees list, announced March 7, 2026 at the MRA Annual Conference; Michigan students vote through January 9, 2027) — 9-12 division
- recommended·10th grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award 2026-27 nominee (official GLGBA nominee press release + nominees list, announced March 7, 2026 at the MRA Annual Conference; Michigan students vote through January 9, 2027) — 9-12 division
- recommended·11th grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award 2026-27 nominee (official GLGBA nominee press release + nominees list, announced March 7, 2026 at the MRA Annual Conference; Michigan students vote through January 9, 2027) — 9-12 division
- recommended·12th grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award 2026-27 nominee (official GLGBA nominee press release + nominees list, announced March 7, 2026 at the MRA Annual Conference; Michigan students vote through January 9, 2027) — 9-12 division
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Common questions
- What grade level is Song of a Blackbird?
- Song of a Blackbird is listed for grades 3–8. It appears on 2 book-award lists across 1 state, from grade 3 to grade 12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- What curricula assign Song of a Blackbird?
- Song of a Blackbird appears on reading lists for Golden Kite Award, Great Lakes Great Books Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Song of a Blackbird banned in schools?
- Song of a Blackbird 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 3–8 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 1 state (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club, read-aloud.