What grade level is The Way I Say It?

The Way I Say It is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–5. 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 Way I Say It?

It takes about 4h 25m to read The Way I Say It (242 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 265 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.

What curricula assign The Way I Say It?

The Way I Say It appears on reading lists for Georgia Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Is The Way I Say It banned in schools?

The Way I Say It 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.

The Way I Say It

Name: The Way I Say It
Availability: InStock
Author: Nancy Tandon
ISBN: 9781632899118

by Nancy Tandon

The Way I Say It by Nancy Tandon is assigned in US schools at grades 4–5. 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 Way I Say It 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 4–5
Pages: 242
Reading time: about 4h 25m (est.)
First published: 2022
ISBN-13: 9781632899118

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About this book

Sixth-grader Rory's story of his impossible-to-hide speech challenge and middle-school drama is perfect for fans of Sharon Draper's Out of My Mind. Rory still can't say his r's, but that's just the beginning of his troubles. First Rory's ex-best-friend Brent started hanging out with the mean lacrosse kids. But then, a terrible accident takes Brent out of school, and Rory struggles with how to feel. Rory and his new speech teacher put their heads together on Rory's r's (as well as a serious love of hard rock and boxing legend Muhammad Ali), but nobody seems to be able to solve the problem of Rory's complicated feelings about Brent. Brent's accident left him with a brain injury and he's struggling. Should Rory stand up for his old friend at school--even after Brent failed to do the same for

Where this book is assigned

Georgia Children's Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Georgia source: Georgia Children's Book Award 2025 Nominees (Grades 4-5), University of Georgia Libraries
- recommended·5th grade · Georgia source: Georgia Children's Book Award 2025 Nominees (Grades 4-5), University of Georgia Libraries

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Common questions

What grade level is The Way I Say It?: The Way I Say It is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–5. 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 Way I Say It?: It takes about 4h 25m to read The Way I Say It (242 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 265 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Way I Say It?: The Way I Say It appears on reading lists for Georgia Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Way I Say It banned in schools?: The Way I Say It 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 4–5 — 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.