# Literary Fiction books assigned in US schools

**24** books in the Literary Fiction genre that US schools assign. Sourced from state ELA standards, AP/IB syllabi, and Common Core exemplar lists.

**Lexile range:** 630L–1110L
**Grade span:** 6–12
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/genre/literary-fiction
**Wikipedia (entity):** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_fiction
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Recurring themes

- identity (8)
- family (6)
- coming of age (3)
- disability (3)
- friendship (3)
- American Dream (2)
- colonialism (2)
- immigration (2)
- marriage and class (2)
- motherhood (2)

## Authors in this genre

- John Steinbeck (2)
- Toni Morrison (2)
- Alice Walker
- Amy Tan
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Chinua Achebe
- Daniel Keyes
- Ernest J. Gaines
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Harper Lee

## Literary Fiction titles

- [A Lesson Before Dying](https://readinglist.school/book/a-lesson-before-dying) by Ernest J. Gaines _(750L · Grades 8–12)_
- [A Separate Peace](https://readinglist.school/book/a-separate-peace) by John Knowles _(1110L · Grades 9–11)_
- [Beloved](https://readinglist.school/book/beloved) by Toni Morrison _(870L · Grades 11–12)_
- [Flowers for Algernon](https://readinglist.school/book/flowers-for-algernon) by Daniel Keyes _(910L · Grades 8–11)_
- [Invisible Man](https://readinglist.school/book/invisible-man) by Ralph Ellison _(950L · Grades 11–12)_
- [Life of Pi](https://readinglist.school/book/life-of-pi) by Yann Martel _(830L · Grades 9–12)_
- [Of Mice and Men](https://readinglist.school/book/of-mice-and-men) by John Steinbeck _(630L · Grades 8–11)_
- [Pride and Prejudice](https://readinglist.school/book/pride-and-prejudice) by Jane Austen _(1100L · Grades 10–12)_
- [Purple Hibiscus](https://readinglist.school/book/purple-hibiscus) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie _(920L · Grades 10–12)_
- [Slaughterhouse-Five](https://readinglist.school/book/slaughterhouse-five) by Kurt Vonnegut _(850L · Grades 11–12)_
- [The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn](https://readinglist.school/book/the-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn) by Mark Twain _(980L · Grades 10–12)_
- [The Awakening](https://readinglist.school/book/the-awakening) by Kate Chopin _(960L · Grades 11–12)_
- [The Bluest Eye](https://readinglist.school/book/the-bluest-eye) by Toni Morrison _(920L · Grades 11–12)_
- [The Catcher in the Rye](https://readinglist.school/book/the-catcher-in-the-rye) by J.D. Salinger _(790L · Grades 9–12)_
- [The Color Purple](https://readinglist.school/book/the-color-purple) by Alice Walker _(670L · Grades 9–12)_
- [The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time](https://readinglist.school/book/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time) by Mark Haddon _(1090L · Grades 8–12)_
- [The Great Gatsby](https://readinglist.school/book/the-great-gatsby) by F. Scott Fitzgerald _(1070L · Grades 10–12)_
- [The Joy Luck Club](https://readinglist.school/book/the-joy-luck-club) by Amy Tan _(930L · Grades 9–12)_
- [The Kite Runner](https://readinglist.school/book/the-kite-runner) by Khaled Hosseini _(840L · Grades 10–12)_
- [The Pearl](https://readinglist.school/book/the-pearl) by John Steinbeck _(1010L · Grades 6–9)_
- [The Secret Life of Bees](https://readinglist.school/book/the-secret-life-of-bees) by Sue Monk Kidd _(840L · Grades 9–11)_
- [Their Eyes Were Watching God](https://readinglist.school/book/their-eyes-were-watching-god) by Zora Neale Hurston _(1080L · Grades 10–12)_
- [Things Fall Apart](https://readinglist.school/book/things-fall-apart) by Chinua Achebe _(890L · Grades 9–12)_
- [To Kill a Mockingbird](https://readinglist.school/book/to-kill-a-mockingbird) by Harper Lee _(870L · Grades 7–10)_

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_Generated from primary-source citations indexed on ReadingList.school. JSON API: https://readinglist.school/api/genre/literary-fiction · HTML view: https://readinglist.school/genre/literary-fiction._