Cover of The Girl in the Lake

The Girl in the Lake

by India Hill Brown

The Girl in the Lake by India Hill Brown is assigned in US schools at grades 4–6. 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 Girl in the Lake 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 4–6
Pages
148
Reading time
about 2h 45m (est.)
First published
2022
ISBN-13
9781338678901
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About this book

For fans of Small Spaces, Doll Bones, and Mary Downing Hahn, a truly chilling (and historically inspired) ghost story from the talented author of The Forgotten Girl. Celeste knows she should be excited to spend two weeks at her grandparents' lake house with her brother, Owen, and their cousins Capri and Daisy, but she's not. Bugs, bad cell reception, and the dark waters of the lake... no thanks. On top of that, she just failed her swim test and hates being in the water—it's terrifying. But her grandparents are strong believers in their family knowing how to swim, especially having grown up during a time of segregation at public pools. And soon strange things start happening—the sound of footsteps overhead late at night. A flickering light in the attic window. And Celete's cousins start acc

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is The Girl in the Lake?
The Girl in the Lake is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–6. 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 Girl in the Lake?
It takes about 2h 45m to read The Girl in the Lake (148 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 165 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Girl in the Lake?
The Girl in the Lake appears on reading lists for Mark Twain Readers Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Girl in the Lake banned in schools?
The Girl in the Lake 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

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 4–6 — 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: award-winner.