Cover of The Trouble with Heroes

The Trouble with Heroes

by Kate Messner · Grades 6–8 · Juvenile Fiction

The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner is on US reading lists at grades 6–8. It appears on 1 list: the Great Lakes Great Books Award, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Grades 6–8 · 377 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781547616404). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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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:Great Lakes Great Books Award

This page shows where The Trouble with Heroes 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 6–8
Pages
377
Reading time
about 6h 55m (est.)
Genre
Juvenile Fiction
ISBN-13
9781547616404

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-07-02; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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Why it is assigned

This juvenile fiction title is typically read at grades 6–8. Published in the canon; cited on the Great Lakes Great Books Award.

Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is The Trouble with Heroes?
The Trouble with Heroes is listed for grades 6–8. It appears on 1 state book-award list across 1 state. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read The Trouble with Heroes?
It takes about 6h 55m to read The Trouble with Heroes (377 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 415 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Trouble with Heroes?
The Trouble with Heroes appears on reading lists for Great Lakes Great Books Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Trouble with Heroes banned in schools?
The Trouble with Heroes 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 6–8 — drawn from the state 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
On state book-award lists in 1 state (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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