Cover of The Lost Year

The Lost Year

by Katherine Marsh · Grades 6–8 · Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh is on US reading lists at grades 6–8. It appears on 7 lists: 7 book-award lists, across 6 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Ages 11–14 · Grades 6–8 · 337 pages. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9781250313607). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Among the most widely assigned — 7 curriculum lists · 6 states

#88 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 5 states (2026-07-13 study of 13,258 assignments).

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:Washington Sasquatch Book AwardSouth Carolina Junior Book AwardGolden Kite AwardOklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award+3 more

This page shows where The Lost Year 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 6–8
Age range
Ages 11–14
Pages
337
Reading time
about 6h 10m (est.)
First published
2023
Genre
Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)
ISBN-13
9781250313607

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-07-03; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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About this book

Book facts and sources (7)
On award reading lists
  • Washington Sasquatch Book Award (source: wla.org)
  • South Carolina Junior Book Award (source: scasl.net)
  • Golden Kite Award (source: Wikipedia)
  • Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award (source: Wikipedia)

and 3 more in where it is taught

Catalog record
First published 2023 · 337 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

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

Why widely assigned

This historical fiction (middle grade) title is typically read at grades 6–8. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on family and history; cited on 7 lists: 7 book-award lists.

Themes

family · history · perseverance

Where this book is recommended

Show 1 more award or assignment

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Common questions

What grade level is The Lost Year?
The Lost Year is listed for grades 6–8. It appears on 7 book-award lists across 6 states, from grade 4 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read The Lost Year?
It takes about 6h 10m to read The Lost Year (337 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 370 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Lost Year?
The Lost Year appears on reading lists for Garden State Children's Book Award, Golden Kite Award, Great Stone Face Book Award, and 4 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Lost Year banned in schools?
The Lost Year 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 Lost Year explore?
Central themes in The Lost Year include family, history, perseverance.

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 6–8 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 7 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
On state book-award lists in 6 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.

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