Cover of We Are the Ship

We Are the Ship

by Kadir Nelson · Grades 4–8

We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson is on US reading lists at grades 4–8. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Grades 4–8 · 100 pages. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9780786808328). 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).

On reading-award lists:Robert F. Sibert Informational Book MedalCoretta Scott King Author Award

This page shows where We Are the Ship 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 4–8
Pages
100
Reading time
about 1h 50m (est.)
First published
2008
ISBN-13
9780786808328

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-10; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

Good fit for grade 4?

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New to these terms? Reading levels by grade · What is the Coretta Scott King Award?

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About this book

Book facts and sources (2)
Awards won
  • Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2009 (source: Wikipedia)
  • Coretta Scott King Author Award, 2009 (source: Wikipedia)
Catalog record
First published 2008 · 100 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 We Are the Ship?
We Are the Ship is listed for grades 4–8. It appears on 2 book-award lists. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read We Are the Ship?
It takes about 1h 50m to read We Are the Ship (100 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 110 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign We Are the Ship?
We Are the Ship appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Author Award, Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is We Are the Ship banned in schools?
We Are the Ship 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 4–8 — 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
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner.

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