
The Undefeated
by Kwame Alexander · Grades 2–6 · History
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander is on US reading lists at grades 2–6. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 2–6 · 45 pages. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9781328780966). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where The Undefeated 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 2–6
- Pages
- 45
- Reading time
- about 50 minutes (est.)
- First published
- 2019
- Genre
- History
- ISBN-13
- 9781328780966
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-20; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for kindergarten?
If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade · What is the Caldecott Medal?
More formats & details
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About this book
Book facts and sources (2)
- Award won
- Caldecott Medal, 2020 (source: Wikipedia)
- On award reading lists
- Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (source: Wikipedia)
- Catalog record
- First published 2019 · 45 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
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See all books like The Undefeated→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why it is assigned
This history title is typically read at grades 2–6. Written in the 2010s; cited on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists.
Where this book is recommended
Caldecott Medal
- recommended·Kindergarten gradesource: Caldecott Medal (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Caldecott Medal winner
- recommended·1st gradesource: Caldecott Medal (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Caldecott Medal winner
- recommended·2nd gradesource: Caldecott Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Caldecott Medal
- recommended·3rd gradesource: Caldecott Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Caldecott Medal
- recommended·4th gradesource: Caldecott Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Caldecott Medal
- recommended·5th gradesource: Caldecott Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Caldecott Medal
- recommended·6th gradesource: Caldecott Medal winners (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Caldecott Medal
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
- recommended·Kindergarten gradesource: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner
- recommended·1st gradesource: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner
- recommended·2nd gradesource: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner
- recommended·3rd gradesource: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner
- recommended·4th gradesource: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner
- recommended·5th gradesource: Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award (American Library Association), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner
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Common questions
- What grade level is The Undefeated?
- The Undefeated is listed for grades 2–6. It appears on 2 book-award lists, from kindergarten to grade 6. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read The Undefeated?
- It takes about 50 minutes to read The Undefeated (45 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 Undefeated?
- The Undefeated appears on reading lists for Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The Undefeated banned in schools?
- The Undefeated has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 1 state (PA) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
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 2–6 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula 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
- Documented as challenged or removed in 1 state per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: award-winner, read-aloud.