Out of My Mind vs Refugee — which is harder to read?

Refugee (Lexile 800) is the harder read — 100L higher than Out of My Mind (Lexile 700). Lexile differential ≥150L typically means a 1-2 grade-level difference. Both are in the 3-5 grade band, though.

What grade level is Out of My Mind vs Refugee?

Out of My Mind: 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, Out of My Mind or Refugee?

Both Out of My Mind 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/out-of-my-mind, /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 Out of My Mind 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

Out of My Mind vs Refugee

How Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper 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.

Out of My Mind

Sharon M. Draper

Lexile: 700L
Grades: 4–7
Published: 2010
Pages: 295
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Refugee

Alan Gratz

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

At a glance

Lexile differential: 100L (Out of My Mind: 700L · Refugee: 800L)
Grade-range overlap: Grades 5–7
Year-of-publication gap: 7 years (2010 vs 2017)
Page-count gap: 57 pages (295 vs 352)
Shared curricula: 22 of 102
Shared themes: 1 of 9

Reading-level difference

The 100-point Lexile gap puts Refugee roughly a notch above Out of My Mind. 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 →

Themes

Shared

family

Only Out of My Mind

disability · inclusion · intelligence · friendship

Only Refugee

refugees · survival · displacement · empathy

Get these books

Out of My Mind

Sharon M. Draper

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.

Out of My Mind vs Refugee

Out of My Mind

Refugee

At a glance

Reading-level difference

Curriculum overlap

Themes

Shared

Only Out of My Mind

Only Refugee

Get these books

Where to find this book

Where to find this book

Related on ReadingList