# The Catcher in the Rye

**Author:** J.D. Salinger
**Lexile:** 790L
**Grade range:** Grades 9–12
**Age range:** 14–18
**First published:** 1951
**Page count:** 277
**Genre:** Literary Fiction
**ISBN-13:** `9780316769174`
**ISBN-10:** `0316769177`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/the-catcher-in-the-rye
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## About this book

Sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield narrates two days in Manhattan after being expelled from his fourth boarding school. His restless, often bitter voice — and his attempts to avoid what he calls the phoniness of the adult world — made the book a defining American novel of adolescence. It has been both celebrated for its portrayal of teenage alienation and frequently challenged in school districts.

## Themes

- alienation
- adolescence
- mental health
- innocence
- grief
- identity

## Content notes

- profanity (strong)
- references to sex work
- depression
- alcohol and smoking
- grief over child's death

Common Sense Media age recommendation: 15+

## Where this book is assigned

### AP English Literature & Composition

- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: AP Lit representative text list](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-literature-and-composition)

### Common Core State Standards (ELA)

- **recommended** · 11th grade · California — [source: CA CCSS ELA aligned reading](https://www.cde.ca.gov/)
- **recommended** · 11th grade · New York — [source: NY Next Gen Learning Standards aligned reading](https://www.nysed.gov/)

## Banned / challenged record

Documented removals or formal challenges in at least one school district in 4 states: TX, FL, MO, VA. Source: [PEN America's Index of School Book Bans](https://pen.org/banned-book-list/) 2022-2024.

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