# Books written in the 1970s, assigned in US schools

Post-Vietnam questioning; YA emerges as a marketed category; The Bluest Eye, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.

**10** books written between 1970 and 1979 that US schools assign across state ELA standards, AP/IB syllabi, and Common Core exemplar lists.

**Decade window:** 1970–1979
**Lexile range:** 330L–920L
**Grade span:** 1–12
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/decade/1970s
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Themes of the 1970s

- everyday life (3)
- family (3)
- friendship (3)
- rural childhood (2)
- Chinese-American experience
- Jim Crow South
- beauty standards
- childhood awareness

## Authors writing in the 1970s

- Arnold Lobel (2)
- Ellen Raskin
- Judy Blume
- Katherine Paterson
- Laurence Yep
- Mildred D. Taylor
- Natalie Babbitt
- Robert C. O'Brien

## Genres

- Early Reader (2)
- Historical Fiction (2)
- Middle Grade Fiction (2)
- Children's Fiction
- Literary Fiction
- Middle Grade Fantasy
- Mystery

## The 1970s canon

- [Frog and Toad Are Friends](https://readinglist.school/book/frog-and-toad-are-friends) by Arnold Lobel _(350L · Grades 1–2 · pub 1970)_
- [The Bluest Eye](https://readinglist.school/book/the-bluest-eye) by Toni Morrison _(920L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1970)_
- [Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH](https://readinglist.school/book/mrs-frisby-and-the-rats-of-nimh) by Robert C. O'Brien _(790L · Grades 4–6 · pub 1971)_
- [Frog and Toad Together](https://readinglist.school/book/frog-and-toad-together) by Arnold Lobel _(330L · Grades 1–2 · pub 1972)_
- [Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing](https://readinglist.school/book/tales-of-a-fourth-grade-nothing) by Judy Blume _(470L · Grades 2–5 · pub 1972)_
- [Dragonwings](https://readinglist.school/book/dragonwings) by Laurence Yep _(870L · Grades 6–8 · pub 1975)_
- [Tuck Everlasting](https://readinglist.school/book/tuck-everlasting) by Natalie Babbitt _(770L · Grades 4–7 · pub 1975)_
- [Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry](https://readinglist.school/book/roll-of-thunder-hear-my-cry) by Mildred D. Taylor _(920L · Grades 6–8 · pub 1976)_
- [Bridge to Terabithia](https://readinglist.school/book/bridge-to-terabithia) by Katherine Paterson _(810L · Grades 4–6 · pub 1977)_
- [The Westing Game](https://readinglist.school/book/the-westing-game) by Ellen Raskin _(750L · Grades 5–7 · pub 1978)_

---

_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. JSON API: https://readinglist.school/api/decade/1970s · HTML view: https://readinglist.school/decade/1970s._