Cover of Under the Blood-Red Sun

Under the Blood-Red Sun

by Graham Salisbury · Grades 5–8

Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury is on US reading lists at grades 5–8. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 2 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Grades 5–8 · 273 pages. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9780307548528). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 2 states

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:California Young Reader MedalHawai'i Nēnē AwardScott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

This page shows where Under the Blood-Red Sun 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 5–8
Pages
273
Reading time
about 5 hours (est.)
First published
1995
ISBN-13
9780307548528

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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About this book

Book facts and sources (3)
Award won
  • Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 1995 (source: Wikipedia)
On award reading lists
Catalog record
First published 1995 · 273 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

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Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is Under the Blood-Red Sun?
Under the Blood-Red Sun is listed for grades 5–8. It appears on 3 book-award lists across 2 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Under the Blood-Red Sun?
It takes about 5 hours to read Under the Blood-Red Sun (273 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 300 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Under the Blood-Red Sun?
Under the Blood-Red Sun appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal, Hawai'i Nēnē Award, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Under the Blood-Red Sun banned in schools?
Under the Blood-Red Sun 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 5–8 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
On state book-award lists in 2 states (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.

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