Holes vs Refugee — which is harder to read?

Refugee (Lexile 800) is the harder read — 140L higher than Holes (Lexile 660). Lexile differential ≥150L typically means a 1-2 grade-level difference. Both are in the 3-5 grade band, though.

What grade level is Holes vs Refugee?

Holes: 4-7 grade range. Refugee: 5-9 grade range. Both assigned within the 3-5 band. Specific district and curriculum vary; see each book's page for the full assignment history.

Which is more commonly taught, Holes or Refugee?

Both Holes and Refugee are in the top-10 most-cited books on ReadingList.school across US school assignments and curricula. Each book's individual page (/book/holes, /book/refugee) lists every tracked assignment with source citation, so you can see which has broader curriculum reach in your specific region.

Should I read Holes or Refugee first?

If they're in the same school year, follow the syllabus order (usually chronological by publication or grouped by theme). If reading independently: start with the shorter or lower-Lexile title to build context, then move to the other. Both titles often appear together on AP / IB reading lists as paired study.

Comparison

Holes vs Refugee

How Holes by Louis Sachar and Refugee by Alan Gratzcompare on reading level, grade placement, curriculum overlap, and shared themes — derived from primary-source citations on each book’s ReadingList page.

Holes

Louis Sachar

Lexile: 660L
Grades: 4–7
Published: 1998
Pages: 233
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Refugee

Alan Gratz

Lexile: 800L
Grades: 5–9
Published: 2017
Pages: 352
Genre: Historical Fiction

At a glance

Lexile differential: 140L (Holes: 660L · Refugee: 800L)
Grade-range overlap: Grades 5–7
Year-of-publication gap: 19 years (1998 vs 2017)
Page-count gap: 119 pages (233 vs 352)
Shared curricula: 41 of 97
Shared themes: 0 of 10

Reading-level difference

The 140-point Lexile gap puts Refugee roughly a notch above Holes. Lexile differences below 50L typically reflect equivalent decoding load (sentence length + word frequency); differences above 200L cross developmental reading-band boundaries. More on how Lexile measures work →

Curriculum overlap

Both books appear in 41 shared curriculum frameworks:

Themes

Only Holes

fate vs choice · friendship · justice · family legacy · racial history

Only Refugee

refugees · survival · family · displacement · empathy

Get these books

Holes

Louis Sachar

Where to find this book

Buy on AmazonPrime · 1-click Listen free on Audible30-day trial

Audible: new members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership.

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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Refugee

Alan Gratz

Where to find this book

Buy on AmazonPrime · 1-click Listen free on Audible30-day trial

Audible: new members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership.

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. Pricing, Prime, and trial terms shown on Amazon.

Holes

Refugee

At a glance

Reading-level difference

Curriculum overlap

Themes

Only Holes

Only Refugee

Get these books

Where to find this book

Where to find this book

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