Cover of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

by Mordicai Gerstein

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein is assigned in US schools at grades k–5. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where The Man Who Walked Between the Towers 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 K–5
Pages
44
Reading time
about 50 minutes (est.)
First published
2007
Genre
Children's
ISBN-13
9781429939959
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About this book

The story of a daring tightrope walk between skyscrapers, as seen in Robert Zemeckis's The Walk, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In 1974, French aerialist Philippe Petit threw a tightrope between the two towers of the World Trade Center and spent an hour walking, dancing, and performing high-wire tricks a quarter mile in the sky. This picture book captures the poetry and magic of the event with a poetry of its own: lyrical words and lovely paintings that present the detail, daring, and--in two dramatic foldout spreads-- the vertiginous drama of Petit's feat. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is the winner of the Caldecott Medal, winner of the Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Picture Books, and winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video.

Why widely assigned

This Children's title, typically at grades k–5. 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 Man Who Walked Between the Towers?
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades K–5. 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 Man Who Walked Between the Towers?
It takes about 50 minutes to read The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (44 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 50 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Man Who Walked Between the Towers?
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers appears on reading lists for Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Man Who Walked Between the Towers banned in schools?
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers 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 K–5 — 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
Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: read-aloud.