Smile vs The War That Saved My Life — which is harder to read?

The War That Saved My Life (Lexile 580) is the harder read — 170L higher than Smile (Lexile 410). Lexile differential ≥150L typically means a 1-2 grade-level difference. Both are in the 3-5 grade band, though.

What grade level is Smile vs The War That Saved My Life?

Smile: 4-8 grade range. The War That Saved My Life: 4-7 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, Smile or The War That Saved My Life?

Both Smile and The War That Saved My Life are in the top-10 most-cited books on ReadingList.school across US school assignments and curricula. Each book's individual page (/book/smile, /book/the-war-that-saved-my-life) lists every tracked assignment with source citation, so you can see which has broader curriculum reach in your specific region.

Should I read Smile or The War That Saved My Life 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

Smile vs The War That Saved My Life

How Smile by Raina Telgemeier and The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradleycompare on reading level, grade placement, curriculum overlap, and shared themes — derived from primary-source citations on each book’s ReadingList page.

Smile

Raina Telgemeier

Lexile: 410L
Grades: 4–8
Published: 2010
Pages: 224
Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel

The War That Saved My Life

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Lexile: 580L
Grades: 4–7
Published: 2015
Pages: 316
Genre: Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)

At a glance

Lexile differential: 170L (Smile: 410L · The War That Saved My Life: 580L)
Grade-range overlap: Grades 4–7
Year-of-publication gap: 5 years (2010 vs 2015)
Page-count gap: 92 pages (224 vs 316)
Shared curricula: 4 of 95
Shared themes: 0 of 9

Reading-level difference

The 170-point Lexile gap puts The War That Saved My Life roughly a meaningful step harder than Smile. 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 4 shared curriculum frameworks:

Themes

Only Smile

growing up · friendship · self-acceptance · humor

Only The War That Saved My Life

war · resilience · disability · family · freedom

Get these books

Smile

Raina Telgemeier

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.

The War That Saved My Life

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

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.

Smile

The War That Saved My Life

At a glance

Reading-level difference

Curriculum overlap

Themes

Only Smile

Only The War That Saved My Life

Get these books

Where to find this book

Where to find this book

Related on ReadingList