Cover of The Poet Slave of Cuba

The Poet Slave of Cuba

by Margarita Engle · Grades 7–12

The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle is on US reading lists at grades 7–12. It appears on 1 list: the Pura Belpré Author Award. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Grades 7–12 · 185 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781466889637). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list

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:Pura Belpré Author Award

This page shows where The Poet Slave of Cuba 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 7–12
Pages
185
Reading time
about 3h 25m (est.)
First published
2015
ISBN-13
9781466889637

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-10; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is The Poet Slave of Cuba?
The Poet Slave of Cuba is listed for grades 7–12. It appears on 1 book-award list. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read The Poet Slave of Cuba?
It takes about 3h 25m to read The Poet Slave of Cuba (185 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 205 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Poet Slave of Cuba?
The Poet Slave of Cuba appears on reading lists for Pura Belpré Author Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Poet Slave of Cuba banned in schools?
The Poet Slave of Cuba 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 7–12 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where recommended” 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: award-winner.

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