# Books about grief assigned in US schools

**27** books in the US-school assigned-reading canon explore _grief_. Sourced from state ELA standards, AP/IB syllabi, and Common Core exemplar lists.

**Lexile range:** 700L–850L
**Grade span:** K–12
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/theme/grief
**Wikipedia (entity):** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grief
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Authors who explore grief

- [Alicia D. Williams](https://readinglist.school/author/alicia-d-williams)
- [Barbara Park](https://readinglist.school/author/barbara-park)
- [Beverly Cleary](https://readinglist.school/author/beverly-cleary)
- [Crystal Allen](https://readinglist.school/author/crystal-allen)
- [Dan Gemeinhart](https://readinglist.school/author/dan-gemeinhart)
- [Gary D. Schmidt](https://readinglist.school/author/gary-d-schmidt)
- [Jason Reynolds](https://readinglist.school/author/jason-reynolds)
- [Jessixa Bagley](https://readinglist.school/author/jessixa-bagley)

## grief canon

- [Between Two Brothers](https://readinglist.school/book/between-two-brothers) by Crystal Allen _(Grades 4–8)_
- [Dadaji's Paintbrush](https://readinglist.school/book/dadajis-paintbrush) by Rashmi Sirdeshpande _(Grades K–3)_
- [Dear Mr. Henshaw](https://readinglist.school/book/dear-mr-henshaw) by Beverly Cleary _(Grades 4–6)_
- [Duel](https://readinglist.school/book/duel) by Jessixa Bagley _(Grades 4–8)_
- [Four for the Road](https://readinglist.school/book/four-for-the-road) by K.J. Reilly _(Grades 9–12)_
- [Fowl Play](https://readinglist.school/book/fowl-play) by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb _(Grades 3–6)_
- [Hope in the Valley](https://readinglist.school/book/hope-in-the-valley) by Mitali Perkins _(Grades 3–6)_
- [Long Way Down](https://readinglist.school/book/long-way-down) by Jason Reynolds _(720L · Grades 7–12)_
- [Mick Harte Was Here](https://readinglist.school/book/mick-harte-was-here) by Barbara Park _(Grades 5–8)_
- [Mid-Air](https://readinglist.school/book/mid-air) by Alicia D. Williams _(Grades 5–8)_
- [Old Yeller](https://readinglist.school/book/old-yeller) by Fred Gipson _(Grades 5–8)_
- [Pie in the Sky](https://readinglist.school/book/pie-in-the-sky) by Remy Lai _(Grades 3–6)_
- [Ruby Lost and Found](https://readinglist.school/book/ruby-lost-and-found) by Christina Li _(Grades 6–9)_
- [Sal and Gabi Break the Universe](https://readinglist.school/book/sal-and-gabi-break-the-universe) by Carlos Hernandez _(Grades 4–7)_
- [Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe](https://readinglist.school/book/smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-maybe) by Jo Watson Hackl _(Grades 4–7)_
- [The Catcher in the Rye](https://readinglist.school/book/the-catcher-in-the-rye) by J.D. Salinger _(790L · Grades 9–12)_
- [The Crossover](https://readinglist.school/book/the-crossover) by Kwame Alexander _(750L · Grades 5–8)_
- [The Fault in Our Stars](https://readinglist.school/book/the-fault-in-our-stars) by John Green _(850L · Grades 9–12)_
- [The Girl with the Ghost Machine](https://readinglist.school/book/the-girl-with-the-ghost-machine) by Lauren DeStefano _(Grades 3–8)_
- [The Labors of Hercules Beal](https://readinglist.school/book/the-labors-of-hercules-beal) by Gary D. Schmidt _(Grades 3–7)_
- [The Night Train](https://readinglist.school/book/the-night-train) by Lorelei Savaryn _(Grades 4–8)_
- [The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise](https://readinglist.school/book/the-remarkable-journey-of-coyote-sunrise) by Dan Gemeinhart _(Grades 5–8)_
- [The Silence That Binds Us](https://readinglist.school/book/the-silence-that-binds-us) by Joanna Ho _(Grades 9–12)_
- [Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky](https://readinglist.school/book/tristan-strong-punches-a-hole-in-the-sky) by Kwame Mbalia _(Grades 4–7)_
- [Walk Two Moons](https://readinglist.school/book/walk-two-moons) by Sharon Creech _(770L · Grades 5–7)_
- [Where the Red Fern Grows](https://readinglist.school/book/where-the-red-fern-grows) by Wilson Rawls _(700L · Grades 4–7)_
- [Wildful](https://readinglist.school/book/wildful) by Kengo Kurimoto _(Grades 4–8)_

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