
The Fountains of Silence
by Ruta Sepetys
Audible trial: new members only. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.
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).
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys 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 The Fountains of Silence 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
- 512
- Reading time
- about 9h 25m (est.)
- First published
- 2019
- Genre
- Historical Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780142423639
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. Pricing, Prime, and trial terms shown on Amazon.
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
See all books like The Fountains of Silence→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Historical Fiction title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on dictatorship--fiction. and hotels; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
dictatorship--fiction. · hotels · motels · etc--fiction.
Where this book is assigned
California Young Reader Medal
- recommended·9th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2022 winner (Young Adult)
- recommended·10th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2022 winner (Young Adult)
- recommended·11th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2022 winner (Young Adult)
- recommended·12th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2022 winner (Young Adult)
Was this page helpful?
Common questions
- What grade level is The Fountains of Silence?
- The Fountains of Silence 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 The Fountains of Silence?
- It takes about 9h 25m to read The Fountains of Silence (512 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 565 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign The Fountains of Silence?
- The Fountains of Silence appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The Fountains of Silence banned in schools?
- The Fountains of Silence 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 The Fountains of Silence explore?
- Central themes in The Fountains of Silence include dictatorship--fiction., hotels, motels, etc--fiction.. 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 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 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.