# Books written in the 1980s, assigned in US schools

Magic realism and historical fiction broaden the canon; The Joy Luck Club, Number the Stars, Hatchet.

**17** books written between 1980 and 1989 that US schools assign across state ELA standards, AP/IB syllabi, and Common Core exemplar lists.

**Decade window:** 1980–1989
**Lexile range:** 410L–1020L
**Grade span:** K–12
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/decade/1980s
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Themes of the 1980s

- family (7)
- identity (6)
- Holocaust (3)
- courage (2)
- friendship (2)
- growing up (2)
- humor (2)
- imagination (2)

## Authors writing in the 1980s

- Roald Dahl (2)
- Alice Walker
- Amy Tan
- Art Spiegelman
- August Wilson
- Beverly Cleary
- Gary Paulsen
- Jane Yolen

## Genres

- Middle Grade Fiction (4)
- Literary Fiction (3)
- Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) (2)
- Adventure
- Coming-of-Age Fiction
- Drama
- Dystopian Fiction
- Graphic Novel / Memoir

## The 1980s canon

- [Stone Fox](https://readinglist.school/book/stone-fox) by John Reynolds Gardiner _(550L · Grades 3–5 · pub 1980)_
- [Ramona Quimby, Age 8](https://readinglist.school/book/ramona-quimby-age-8) by Beverly Cleary _(860L · Grades 3–5 · pub 1981)_
- [The BFG](https://readinglist.school/book/the-bfg) by Roald Dahl _(720L · Grades 3–6 · pub 1982)_
- [The Color Purple](https://readinglist.school/book/the-color-purple) by Alice Walker _(670L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1982)_
- [The House on Mango Street](https://readinglist.school/book/the-house-on-mango-street) by Sandra Cisneros _(870L · Grades 7–10 · pub 1984)_
- [Ender's Game](https://readinglist.school/book/enders-game) by Orson Scott Card _(780L · Grades 6–10 · pub 1985)_
- [Fences](https://readinglist.school/book/fences) by August Wilson _(Grades 9–12 · pub 1985)_
- [If You Give a Mouse a Cookie](https://readinglist.school/book/if-you-give-a-mouse-a-cookie) by Laura Numeroff _(410L · Grades K–3 · pub 1985)_
- [Sarah, Plain and Tall](https://readinglist.school/book/sarah-plain-and-tall) by Patricia MacLachlan _(660L · Grades 3–5 · pub 1985)_
- [The Handmaid's Tale](https://readinglist.school/book/the-handmaids-tale) by Margaret Atwood _(750L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1985)_
- [Maus: A Survivor's Tale](https://readinglist.school/book/maus) by Art Spiegelman _(Grades 9–12 · pub 1986)_
- [Beloved](https://readinglist.school/book/beloved) by Toni Morrison _(870L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1987)_
- [Hatchet](https://readinglist.school/book/hatchet) by Gary Paulsen _(1020L · Grades 5–8 · pub 1987)_
- [Matilda](https://readinglist.school/book/matilda) by Roald Dahl _(840L · Grades 3–6 · pub 1988)_
- [The Devil's Arithmetic](https://readinglist.school/book/the-devils-arithmetic) by Jane Yolen _(730L · Grades 5–8 · pub 1988)_
- [Number the Stars](https://readinglist.school/book/number-the-stars) by Lois Lowry _(670L · Grades 4–7 · pub 1989)_
- [The Joy Luck Club](https://readinglist.school/book/the-joy-luck-club) by Amy Tan _(930L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1989)_

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_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. JSON API: https://readinglist.school/api/decade/1980s · HTML view: https://readinglist.school/decade/1980s._