
The Naturals
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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).
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 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 Naturals 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
- 290
- Reading time
- about 5h 20m (est.)
- First published
- 2013
- Genre
- Mystery
- ISBN-13
- 9781423168232
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
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See all books like The Naturals→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Mystery title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on mystery and detective stories and united states; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
mystery and detective stories · united states · criminal profilers · criminal investigation
Where this book is assigned
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award
- recommended·9th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Association of School Librarians — Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2016 winner (High School)
- recommended·10th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Association of School Librarians — Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2016 winner (High School)
- recommended·11th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Association of School Librarians — Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2016 winner (High School)
- recommended·12th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Association of School Librarians — Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2016 winner (High School)
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Common questions
- What grade level is The Naturals?
- The Naturals 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 Naturals?
- It takes about 5h 20m to read The Naturals (290 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 320 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign The Naturals?
- The Naturals appears on reading lists for Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The Naturals banned in schools?
- The Naturals 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 Naturals explore?
- Central themes in The Naturals include mystery and detective stories, united states, criminal profilers, criminal investigation. 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 classifyHide
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.