# Books about growing up assigned in US schools

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

**Lexile range:** 410L–1020L
**Grade span:** K–12
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/theme/growing-up
**Wikipedia (entity):** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming-of-age_story
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Authors who explore growing up

- [Beverly Cleary](https://readinglist.school/author/beverly-cleary) (4 books)
- [Raina Telgemeier](https://readinglist.school/author/raina-telgemeier) (2 books)
- [Alicia D. Williams](https://readinglist.school/author/alicia-d-williams)
- [Ann M. Martin](https://readinglist.school/author/ann-m-martin)
- [E.B. White](https://readinglist.school/author/eb-white)
- [Gary Paulsen](https://readinglist.school/author/gary-paulsen)
- [Jeff Kinney](https://readinglist.school/author/jeff-kinney)
- [Judy Blume](https://readinglist.school/author/judy-blume)

## growing up canon

- [A Corner of the Universe](https://readinglist.school/book/a-corner-of-the-universe) by Ann M. Martin _(Grades 5–8)_
- [Charlotte's Web](https://readinglist.school/book/charlottes-web) by E.B. White _(680L · Grades 3–5)_
- [Dear Mr. Henshaw](https://readinglist.school/book/dear-mr-henshaw) by Beverly Cleary _(Grades 4–6)_
- [Diary of a Wimpy Kid](https://readinglist.school/book/diary-of-a-wimpy-kid) by Jeff Kinney _(950L · Grades 3–7)_
- [El Deafo](https://readinglist.school/book/el-deafo) by Cece Bell _(420L · Grades 4–6)_
- [Ferris](https://readinglist.school/book/ferris) by Kate DiCamillo _(Grades 3–6)_
- [Guts](https://readinglist.school/book/guts) by Raina Telgemeier _(Grades 4–8)_
- [Harriet the Spy](https://readinglist.school/book/harriet-the-spy) by Louise Fitzhugh _(Grades 4–7)_
- [Hatchet](https://readinglist.school/book/hatchet) by Gary Paulsen _(1020L · 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)_
- [Ramona Quimby, Age 8](https://readinglist.school/book/ramona-quimby-age-8) by Beverly Cleary _(860L · Grades 3–5)_
- [Ramona and Her Father](https://readinglist.school/book/ramona-and-her-father) by Beverly Cleary _(Grades 4–6)_
- [Ramona the Pest](https://readinglist.school/book/ramona-the-pest) by Beverly Cleary _(750L · Grades 2–4)_
- [Rascal](https://readinglist.school/book/rascal) by Sterling North _(Grades 5–8)_
- [Roller Girl](https://readinglist.school/book/roller-girl) by Victoria Jamieson _(440L · Grades 4–7)_
- [Smile](https://readinglist.school/book/smile) by Raina Telgemeier _(410L · Grades 4–8)_
- [Summer of the Monkeys](https://readinglist.school/book/summer-of-the-monkeys) by Wilson Rawls _(Grades 4–7)_
- [Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing](https://readinglist.school/book/tales-of-a-fourth-grade-nothing) by Judy Blume _(470L · Grades 2–5)_
- [The Cybil War](https://readinglist.school/book/the-cybil-war) by Betsy Byars _(Grades 3–6)_
- [The Perks of Being a Wallflower](https://readinglist.school/book/the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower) by Stephen Chbosky _(720L · Grades 9–12)_
- [The Season of Styx Malone](https://readinglist.school/book/the-season-of-styx-malone) by Kekla Magoon _(510L · Grades 3–7)_
- [The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants](https://readinglist.school/book/the-sisterhood-of-the-traveling-pants) by Ann Brashares _(Grades 7–10)_
- [The Very Hungry Caterpillar](https://readinglist.school/book/the-very-hungry-caterpillar) by Eric Carle _(460L · Grades K–2)_
- [The Yellow Bus](https://readinglist.school/book/the-yellow-bus) by Loren Long _(Grades K–3)_
- [Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike](https://readinglist.school/book/wild-blue-taming-a-big-kid-bike) by Dashka Slater _(Grades K–2)_

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