Refugee vs Shiloh — which is harder to read?

Shiloh (Lexile 890) is the harder read — 90L higher than Refugee (Lexile 800). Lexile differential ≥150L typically means a 1-2 grade-level difference. Both are in the 3-5 grade band, though.

What grade level is Refugee vs Shiloh?

Refugee: 5-9 grade range. Shiloh: 3-6 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, Refugee or Shiloh?

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

Should I read Refugee or Shiloh 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

Refugee vs Shiloh

How Refugee by Alan Gratz and Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylorcompare on reading level, grade placement, curriculum overlap, and shared themes — derived from primary-source citations on each book’s ReadingList page.

Refugee

Alan Gratz

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

Shiloh

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Lexile: 890L
Grades: 3–6
Published: 1991
Pages: 160
Genre: Realistic Fiction

At a glance

Lexile differential: 90L (Refugee: 800L · Shiloh: 890L)
Grade-range overlap: Grades 5–6
Year-of-publication gap: 26 years (2017 vs 1991)
Page-count gap: 192 pages (352 vs 160)
Shared curricula: 36 of 106
Shared themes: 1 of 9

Reading-level difference

The 90-point Lexile gap puts Shiloh roughly a notch above Refugee. 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 36 shared curriculum frameworks:

Themes

Shared

family

Only Refugee

refugees · survival · displacement · empathy

Only Shiloh

animal welfare · morality · rural life · courage

Get these books

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

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Shiloh

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

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.

Refugee

Shiloh

At a glance

Reading-level difference

Curriculum overlap

Themes

Shared

Only Refugee

Only Shiloh

Get these books

Where to find this book

Where to find this book

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