Cover of The Lovely Bones: A Novel

The Lovely Bones: A Novel

by Alice Sebold

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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:Kentucky Bluegrass Award

The Lovely Bones: A Novel by Alice Sebold 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 Lovely Bones: A Novel 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
340
Reading time
about 6h 15m (est.)
First published
2009
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316666343

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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About this book

This is the tale of family, memory, love, and living told by 14-year-old Susie Salmon, who is already in heaven. Through the voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death and builds out of her family's grief a hopeful and joyful story.

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See all books like The Lovely Bones: A Novel→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2000s; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is The Lovely Bones: A Novel?
The Lovely Bones: A Novel 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 Lovely Bones: A Novel?
It takes about 6h 15m to read The Lovely Bones: A Novel (340 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 375 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Lovely Bones: A Novel?
The Lovely Bones: A Novel appears on reading lists for Kentucky Bluegrass Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Lovely Bones: A Novel banned in schools?
The Lovely Bones: A Novel 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

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 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.

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