Cover of Tears of A Tiger

Tears of A Tiger

by Sharon M. Draper

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 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).

On reading-award lists:Virginia Readers' Choice

Tears of A Tiger by Sharon M. Draper is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Tears of A Tiger 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 9–12
Age range
Ages 14–17
Pages
180
Reading time
about 3h 20m (est.)
First published
1994
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780689806988

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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About this book

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Tears of A Tiger→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on death and high schools; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

death · high schools · schools · african-americans

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Tears of A Tiger?
Tears of A Tiger is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. 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 Tears of A Tiger?
It takes about 3h 20m to read Tears of A Tiger (180 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 200 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Tears of A Tiger?
Tears of A Tiger appears on reading lists for Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Tears of A Tiger banned in schools?
Tears of A Tiger 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 Tears of A Tiger explore?
Central themes in Tears of A Tiger include death, high schools, schools, african-americans. 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 9–12 — 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
Cited in 1 state ELA framework 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.

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