Books written in the 2000s, assigned in US schools
Contemporary YA boom; Persepolis, The Book Thief, Eleanor & Park — many of these reach assigned-reading status within a decade of publication.
- Books on file
- 12
- Lexile range
- 600L–840L
- Grade span
- 3–12
- Decade window
- 2000–2009
The 2000s canon
Because of Winn-DixieKate DiCamillo · 610L
Esperanza RisingPam Muñoz Ryan · 750L
Persepolis: The Story of a ChildhoodMarjane Satrapi
HootCarl Hiaasen · 760L
The Kite RunnerKhaled Hosseini · 840L
The Tale of DespereauxKate DiCamillo · 670L
The Book ThiefMarkus Zusak · 730L
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)Rick Riordan · 740L
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time IndianSherman Alexie · 600L
The Graveyard BookNeil Gaiman · 820L
The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins · 810L
When You Reach MeRebecca Stead · 750L
Common questions
- How many 2000s books does the canon include here?
- 12 books written in the 2000s 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 2000s books?
- Lexile measures for 2000s assigned-reading titles range from 600L to 840L. Books without a published Lexile measure (poetry, drama, graphic novels) are not included in this range.
- What grades assign 2000s books?
- Books written in the 2000s are assigned across grades 3 through 12 in US schools tracked by ReadingList. Specific grade-level assignments are listed on each book page.