What Happened to Rachel Riley?
by Claire Swinarski · Grades 6–8 · Middle Grade Mystery
What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski is on US reading lists at grades 6–8. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 3 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 11–14 · Grades 6–8. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9780063213098). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 3 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).
This page shows where What Happened to Rachel Riley? 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
- Age range
- Ages 11–14
- First published
- 2023
- Genre
- Middle Grade Mystery
- ISBN-13
- 9780063213098
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.
Good fit for grade 3?
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New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
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About this book
Book facts and sources (3)
- On award reading lists
- California Young Reader Medal (source: californiayoungreadermedal.org)
- Georgia Children's Book Award (source: guides.libs.uga.edu)
- Virginia Readers' Choice (source: doe.virginia.gov)
- Catalog record
- First published 2023 (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like What Happened to Rachel Riley?→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This middle grade mystery title is typically read at grades 6–8. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on mystery and school; cited on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists.
Where this book is recommended
California Young Reader Medal
- recommended·3rd grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2026 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·4th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2026 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·5th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2026 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·6th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2026 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·7th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2026 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·8th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2026 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
Georgia Children's Book Award
- recommended·6th grade · Georgiasource: Georgia Children's Book Award 2025 Nominees (Grades 4-8) — University of Georgia Libraries
- recommended·7th grade · Georgiasource: Georgia Children's Book Award 2025 Nominees (Grades 4-8) — University of Georgia Libraries
- recommended·8th grade · Georgiasource: Georgia Children's Book Award 2025 Nominees (Grades 4-8) — University of Georgia Libraries
Virginia Readers' Choice
- recommended·6th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice 2025-2026 Award Nominee Lists (Elementary + Middle School)
- recommended·7th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice 2025-2026 Award Nominee Lists (Elementary + Middle School)
- recommended·8th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice 2025-2026 Award Nominee Lists (Elementary + Middle School)
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Common questions
- What grade level is What Happened to Rachel Riley??
- What Happened to Rachel Riley? is listed for grades 6–8. It appears on 3 state book-award lists across 3 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- What curricula assign What Happened to Rachel Riley??
- What Happened to Rachel Riley? appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal, Georgia Children's Book Award, Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is What Happened to Rachel Riley? banned in schools?
- What Happened to Rachel Riley? 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.
- What themes does What Happened to Rachel Riley? explore?
- Central themes in What Happened to Rachel Riley? include mystery, school, courage.
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 6–8 — drawn from the state 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 3 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.