Cover of The Haunting

The Haunting

by Joan Lowery Nixon

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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:Nebraska Golden Sower Award

The Haunting by Joan Lowery Nixon is assigned in US schools at grades 6–9. 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 Haunting 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 6–9
Age range
Ages 11–14
Pages
184
Reading time
about 3h 20m (est.)
First published
1998
Genre
Mystery
ISBN-13
9780440420026

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

Fifteen-year-old Lia comes from a long line of courageous women, dating back to a Civil War survivor who single-handedly saved her Louisiana plantation house, Graymoss, from destruction. But Graymoss is haunted by a terrible evil.With clues from a diary and Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Lia, who doesn't feel as if she's inherited any family genes of courage, must figure out what--or who--the evil wants. When Lia's parents decide to move into Graymoss, Lia isn't sure how to convince them to change their minds. But it's up to her to chase away the horror lurking inside the old house.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like The Haunting→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Mystery title, typically at grades 6–9. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on haunted houses and ghosts; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

haunted houses · ghosts · mystery · mystery and detective stories

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is The Haunting?
The Haunting is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 6–9. 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 Haunting?
It takes about 3h 20m to read The Haunting (184 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 The Haunting?
The Haunting appears on reading lists for Nebraska Golden Sower Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Haunting banned in schools?
The Haunting 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 Haunting explore?
Central themes in The Haunting include haunted houses, ghosts, mystery, mystery and detective stories. 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 6–9 — 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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