Books written in the 1940s, assigned in US schools
World War II and post-war reckoning; novels of identity, displacement, and totalitarianism enter the canon.
- Books on file
- 10
- Lexile range
- 730L–1170L
- Grade span
- K–12
- Decade window
- 1940–1949
The 1940s canon
Make Way for DucklingsRobert McCloskey · 730L
The Hundred DressesEleanor Estes · 870L
Animal FarmGeorge Orwell · 1170L
Black BoyRichard Wright · 950L
Stuart LittleE.B. White · 920L
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
The PearlJohn Steinbeck · 1010L
My Father's DragonRuth Stiles Gannett · 990L
1984George Orwell · 1090L
Death of a SalesmanArthur Miller
Common questions
- How many 1940s books does the canon include here?
- 10 books written in the 1940s appear across the curricula and state ELA standards tracked by ReadingList. Each one is cited from a state department of education, AP/IB syllabus, or peer-reviewed source.
- What's the Lexile range for 1940s books?
- Lexile measures for 1940s assigned-reading titles range from 730L to 1170L. Books without a published Lexile measure (poetry, drama, graphic novels) are not included in this range.
- What grades assign 1940s books?
- Books written in the 1940s are assigned across grades K through 12 in US schools tracked by ReadingList. Specific grade-level assignments are listed on each book page.