The Boys Start the War
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · Grades 3–8 · Realistic Fiction
The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is on US reading lists at grades 3–8. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 2 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 8–13 · Grades 3–8 · 144 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780785735281). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Widely assigned — 3 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).
This page shows where The Boys Start the War 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
- Age range
- Ages 8–13
- Pages
- 144
- Reading time
- about 2h 40m (est.)
- First published
- 1993
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780785735281
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; 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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About this book
Book facts and sources (3)
- On award reading lists
- South Carolina Children's Book Award (source: scasl.net)
- Nevada Young Readers' Award (source: librarything.com)
- Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award (source: Wikipedia)
- Catalog record
- First published 1993 · 144 pages (edition lengths vary) (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 The Boys Start the War→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This realistic fiction title is typically read at grades 3–8. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on practical jokes in fiction and brothers; cited on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists.
Themes
practical jokes in fiction · brothers · sisters in fiction · practical jokes
Where this book is recommended
Nevada Young Readers' Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·4th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·7th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·8th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award
- recommended·9th gradesource: Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Reader's Choice Award winners (1940-2022), via Wikipedia — 1996 Winner
- recommended·10th gradesource: Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Reader's Choice Award winners (1940-2022), via Wikipedia — 1996 Winner
- recommended·11th gradesource: Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Reader's Choice Award winners (1940-2022), via Wikipedia — 1996 Winner
- recommended·12th gradesource: Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Reader's Choice Award winners (1940-2022), via Wikipedia — 1996 Winner
South Carolina Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 1996 winner
- recommended·4th grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 1996 winner
- recommended·5th grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 1996 winner
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Common questions
- What grade level is The Boys Start the War?
- The Boys Start the War is listed for grades 3–8. It appears on 3 book-award lists across 2 states, from grade 3 to grade 12. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read The Boys Start the War?
- It takes about 2h 40m to read The Boys Start the War (144 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 160 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign The Boys Start the War?
- The Boys Start the War appears on reading lists for Nevada Young Readers' Award, Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award, South Carolina Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The Boys Start the War banned in schools?
- The Boys Start the War 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. See the banned books list by state.
- What themes does The Boys Start the War explore?
- Central themes in The Boys Start the War include practical jokes in fiction, brothers, sisters in fiction, practical jokes.
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 3 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 2 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club, read-aloud.