Cover of Sounder

Sounder

by William H. Armstrong

Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 2 states

On reading-award lists:Nēnē Award (Hawai'i)Mark Twain Readers AwardNewbery Medal

Sounder by William H. Armstrong is assigned in US schools at grades 3–7. It appears across 3 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 Sounder is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

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Grade range
Grades 3–7
Pages
98
Reading time
about 1h 50m (est.)
First published
1969
Genre
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780060935481

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

More formats & details

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About this book

A timeless classic, winner of the John Newberry Medal, and the basis of an acclaimed film, Sounder is a novel that tells of the courage and love that bind a black family together despite the extreme prejudice and inhumanity it faces in the Deep South .

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Why widely assigned

This Fiction title, typically at grades 3–7. Written in the 1960s; cited across 3 curriculum frameworks.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Sounder?
Sounder is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–7. 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 Sounder?
It takes about 1h 50m to read Sounder (98 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 110 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Sounder?
Sounder appears on reading lists for Mark Twain Readers Award, Newbery Medal, Nēnē Award (Hawai'i). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Sounder banned in schools?
Sounder 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 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 3–7 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 3 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: award-winner, book-club.

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