Cover of Where Things Come Back

Where Things Come Back

by John Corey Whaley · Grades 9–12

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley is on US reading lists at grades 9–12. 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 9–12 · 272 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781442413344). 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:William C. Morris YA Debut AwardMichael L. Printz Award

This page shows where Where Things Come Back 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 9–12
Pages
272
Reading time
about 5 hours (est.)
First published
2012
ISBN-13
9781442413344

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-19; 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 (2)
Award won
  • Michael L. Printz Award, 2012 (source: Wikipedia)
On award reading lists
  • William C. Morris YA Debut Award (source: Wikipedia)
Catalog record
First published 2012 · 272 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 Where Things Come Back?
Where Things Come Back is listed for grades 9–12. It appears on 2 book-award lists. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Where Things Come Back?
It takes about 5 hours to read Where Things Come Back (272 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 Where Things Come Back?
Where Things Come Back appears on reading lists for Michael L. Printz Award, William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Where Things Come Back banned in schools?
Where Things Come Back has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 1 state (WI) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.

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 9–12 — 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.

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