Zach's Lie
by Roland Smith
Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state
Zach's Lie by Roland Smith is assigned in US schools at grades 4–6. 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 Zach's Lie 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 4–6
- Pages
- 228
- Reading time
- about 4h 10m (est.)
- Genre
- Basques
- ISBN-13
- 9780439401890
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More formats & details
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About this book
When Jack Osborne is befriended by his school's custodian and a Basque girl, he begins to adjust to his family's sudden move to Elko, Nevada, after entering the Witness Security Program, but the drug cartel against which his father will testify is determined to track them down.
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Why widely assigned
This Basques title, typically at grades 4–6. Published in the canon; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Where this book is assigned
Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award
- recommended·4th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award (Missouri Association of School Librarians) — winner list 1972-2025 via Wikipedia — 2004 Mark Twain Award winner
- recommended·5th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award (Missouri Association of School Librarians) — winner list 1972-2025 via Wikipedia — 2004 Mark Twain Award winner
- recommended·6th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award (Missouri Association of School Librarians) — winner list 1972-2025 via Wikipedia — 2004 Mark Twain Award winner
Common questions
- What grade level is Zach's Lie?
- Zach's Lie is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–6. 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 Zach's Lie?
- It takes about 4h 10m to read Zach's Lie (228 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 250 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Zach's Lie?
- Zach's Lie appears on reading lists for Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Zach's Lie banned in schools?
- Zach's Lie 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 4–6 — 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.