The Thing About Luck
The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata is assigned in US schools at grades 5–8. 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 Thing About Luck 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 5–8
- Pages
- 304
- Reading time
- about 5h 35m (est.)
- First published
- 2014
- ISBN-13
- 9781442474659
Where to find this book
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About this book
There is bad luck, good luck, and making one's own luckNwhich is exactly what Summer must do to save her family in this National Book Award-winning novel by Newbery Medalist Kadohata ("Kira-Kira"). Illustrations.
Where this book is assigned
National Book Award for Young People's Literature
- recommended·5th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2013 winner
- recommended·6th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2013 winner
- recommended·7th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2013 winner
- recommended·8th gradesource: National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners (National Book Foundation), via Wikipedia — 2013 winner
Similar grade-level books
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
See all books like The Thing About Luck→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is The Thing About Luck?
- The Thing About Luck is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 5–8. 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 Thing About Luck?
- It takes about 5h 35m to read The Thing About Luck (304 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 335 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign The Thing About Luck?
- The Thing About Luck appears on reading lists for National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The Thing About Luck banned in schools?
- The Thing About Luck 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 5–8 — 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: award-winner.