How hard are the books schools assign?
Reading effort, length and content notes for books on published school reading lists, lightest to heaviest.
330 books with certified guides, drawn from published district reading lists. An approved title is not necessarily assigned in every school or class.
Page count alone does not predict difficulty.
Heart of Darkness is 160 pages with a reading effort of 65 (High). The Hobbit is 320 pages with a reading effort of 27 (Light).
330 of 330 books · lightest to heaviest
LightModerateHighVery highReading effort, 0–100
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What makes them hard
Content notesStrongMild
| Book and first publication | Effort | Pages | Hardest part | Intensity | Content notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Among the HiddenMargaret Peterson Haddix · 1998 | 9 | 160 | Ideas (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| HatchetGary Paulsen · 1987 | 15 | 192 | Writing, Ideas (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentself-harm or suicide |
| Chasing Lincoln's KillerJames L. Swanson · 2009 | 17 | 208 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| DeathwatchRobb White · 1972 | 17 | 224 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | violence |
| A Long Walk to WaterLinda Sue Park · 2010 | 19 | 128 | Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violence |
| GutsGary Paulsen · 2001 | 19 | 160 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| Number the StarsLois Lowry · 1989 | 19 | 160 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| Shipwreck at the Bottom of the WorldJennifer Armstrong · 1998 | 19 | 144 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance use |
| CoralineNeil Gaiman · 2002 | 20 | 176 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| Freak the MightyRodman Philbrick · 1993 | 20 | 192 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesubstance use |
| GhostJason Reynolds · 2016 | 20 | 208 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| I Am Nujood, Age 10 and DivorcedNujood Ali, Delphine Minoui · 2009 | 20 | 192 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentabusesubstance use |
| The AlchemistPaulo Coelho · 1988 | 20 | 208 | Ideas (3/5) | 2 / 5 | violencesubstance use |
| The BFGRoald Dahl · 1982 | 20 | 208 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| The Last LectureRandy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow · 2008 | 20 | 224 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | swearing |
| Fever 1793Laurie Halse Anderson · 2000 | 21 | 272 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Prisoner B-3087Alan Gratz · 2013 | 21 | 272 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuseswearingself-harm or suicide |
| RestartGordon Korman · 2017 | 21 | 256 | Structure (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceswearingabuse |
| The Maze RunnerJames Dashner · 2009 | 21 | 416 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseswearingself-harm or suicide |
| The True Confessions of Charlotte DoyleAvi · 1990 | 21 | 240 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseswearing |
| Tuesdays with MorrieMitch Albom · 1997 | 21 | 192 | Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Half Broke HorsesJeannette Walls · 2009 | 22 | 288 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's StoneJ. K. Rowling · 1997 | 22 | 320 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| HootCarl Hiaasen · 2002 | 22 | 320 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| I Am Number FourPittacus Lore · 2010 | 22 | 448 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| SteelheartBrandon Sanderson · 2013 | 22 | 432 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearing |
| The 7 Habits of Highly Effective TeensSean Covey · 1998 | 22 | 288 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 2 / 5 | sexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant ChildFrancisco Jiménez · 1997 | 22 | 146 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The Miracle WorkerWilliam Gibson · 1959 | 22 | 128 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| Bridge to TerabithiaKatherine Paterson · 1977 | 23 | 208 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingabuse |
| Island of the Blue DolphinsScott O’Dell · 1960 | 23 | 192 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violence |
| My Side of the MountainJean Craighead George · 1959 | 23 | 192 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violence |
| Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 1937 | 23 | 112 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| StargirlJerry Spinelli · 2000 | 23 | 186 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| The SelectionKiera Cass · 2012 | 23 | 352 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Twelve Angry MenReginald Rose · 1965 | 23 | 96 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted DaughterAdeline Yen Mah · 1999 | 24 | 240 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| Homeless BirdGloria Whelan · 2000 | 24 | 240 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentsubstance use |
| The Boy on the Wooden BoxLeon Leyson, Marilyn J. Harran, Elisabeth B. Leyson · 2013 | 24 | 256 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| The Hiding PlaceCorrie ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill, John Sherrill · 1971 | 24 | 256 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| The Lightning ThiefRick Riordan · 2005 | 24 | 416 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| The WaveTodd Strasser · 1981 | 24 | 144 | Ideas (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceswearingabuse |
| The Wednesday WarsGary D. Schmidt · 2007 | 24 | 264 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| Zlata's DiaryZlata Filipović · 1993 | 24 | 256 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingself-harm or suicide |
| Slam!Walter Dean Myers · 1996 | 25 | 288 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| SounderWilliam H. Armstrong · 1969 | 25 | 128 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingabuse |
| The Call of the WildJack London · 1903 | 25 | 192 | Writing (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseswearingsubstance use |
| The Graveyard BookNeil Gaiman · 2008 | 25 | 304 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyDouglas Adams · 1979 | 25 | 224 | Ideas (3/5) | 2 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The OutsidersS. E. Hinton · 1967 | 25 | 180 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Westing GameEllen Raskin · 1978 | 25 | 208 | Structure (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| AnthemAyn Rand · 1938 | 26 | 272 | Ideas (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabuse |
| Death Be Not ProudJohn Gunther · 1949 | 26 | 208 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | swearing |
| Eleanor & ParkRainbow Rowell · 2012 | 26 | 336 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingabuseviolencesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Escape from Camp 14Blaine Harden · 2012 | 26 | 256 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins · 2008 | 26 | 384 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| A Doll's HouseHenrik Ibsen · 1879 | 27 | 128 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | sexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Out of the DustKaren Hesse · 1997 | 27 | 227 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| OutliersMalcolm Gladwell · 2008 | 27 | 320 | Ideas (3/5) | 2 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| TangerineEdward Bloor · 1997 | 27 | 320 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseswearing |
| The HobbitJ.R.R. Tolkien · 1937 | 27 | 320 | Writing (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Tuck EverlastingNatalie Babbitt · 1975 | 27 | 160 | Ideas (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceabuseself-harm or suicide |
| When Zachary Beaver Came to TownKimberly Willis Holt · 1999 | 27 | 256 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (2/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| Farewell to ManzanarJeanne Wakatsuki Houston, James D. Houston · 1973 | 28 | 208 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | substance useviolencesexual contentswearingabuse |
| Murder on the Orient ExpressAgatha Christie · 1934 | 28 | 336 | Structure (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| NimonaND Stevenson · 2015 | 28 | 272 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The PearlJohn Steinbeck · 1947 | 28 | 96 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| The Skin I'm InSharon G. Flake · 1998 | 28 | 176 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| Tortilla FlatJohn Steinbeck · 1935 | 28 | 208 | Structure (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesubstance useabusesexual contentswearingself-harm or suicide |
| NightElie Wiesel · 1958 | 29 | 144 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingself-harm or suicide |
| Red QueenVictoria Aveyard · 2015 | 29 | 416 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The House on Mango StreetSandra Cisneros · 1984 | 29 | 144 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentsubstance use |
| Touching Spirit BearBen Mikaelsen · 2001 | 29 | 256 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Z for ZachariahRobert C. O'Brien · 1974 | 29 | 240 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual content |
| CinderMarissa Meyer · 2012 | 30 | 448 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentself-harm or suicide |
| Dear MartinNic Stone · 2017 | 30 | 224 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | swearingviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| Esperanza RisingPam Muñoz Ryan · 2000 | 30 | 304 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| Piecing Me TogetherRenée Watson · 2017 | 30 | 288 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance use |
| The Boy Who Harnessed the WindWilliam Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer · 2009 | 30 | 320 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| The Boys in the BoatDaniel James Brown · 2013 | 30 | 432 | Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The Catcher in the RyeJ. D. Salinger · 1951 | 30 | 288 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingsubstance useviolencesexual contentabuseself-harm or suicide |
| UgliesScott Westerfeld · 2005 | 30 | 432 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| WonderR. J. Palacio · 2012 | 30 | 320 | Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| A Long Way GoneIshmael Beah · 2007 | 31 | 240 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useabusesexual contentswearingself-harm or suicide |
| A Wrinkle in TimeMadeleine L'Engle · 1962 | 31 | 256 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| And Then There Were NoneAgatha Christie · 1939 | 31 | 272 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Angela's AshesFrank McCourt · 1996 | 31 | 368 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | sexual contentswearingsubstance useviolenceabuse |
| GritAngela Duckworth · 2016 | 31 | 368 | Ideas (3/5) | 2 / 5 | violence |
| I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican DaughterErika L. Sánchez · 2017 | 31 | 368 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingself-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| The Chocolate WarRobert Cormier · 1974 | 31 | 272 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual content |
| The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeMark Haddon · 2003 | 31 | 240 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| The Hate U GiveAngie Thomas · 2017 | 31 | 480 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| The Secret Life of BeesSue Monk Kidd · 2002 | 31 | 352 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingabuseself-harm or suicidesexual contentsubstance use |
| To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 1960 | 31 | 336 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| Citizen 13660Miné Okubo · 1946 | 32 | 240 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearing |
| First They Killed My FatherLoung Ung · 2000 | 32 | 288 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseself-harm or suicide |
| KindredOctavia E. Butler · 1979 | 32 | 288 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabusesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Okay for NowGary D. Schmidt · 2011 | 32 | 384 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesubstance use |
| A Monster CallsPatrick Ness · 2011 | 33 | 224 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearing |
| A Streetcar Named DesireTennessee Williams · 1947 | 33 | 208 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | substance useabuseviolencesexual contentswearingself-harm or suicide |
| Born a CrimeTrevor Noah · 2016 | 33 | 336 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabusesexual contentself-harm or suicide |
| Long Way DownJason Reynolds · 2017 | 33 | 336 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| PygmalionGeorge Bernard Shaw · 1913 | 33 | 96 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| RefugeeAlan Gratz · 2017 | 33 | 352 | Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Shadow of the DragonSherry Garland · 1993 | 33 | 320 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance use |
| SpeakLaurie Halse Anderson · 1999 | 33 | 224 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The 57 BusDashka Slater · 2017 | 33 | 336 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Age of MiraclesKaren Thompson Walker · 2012 | 33 | 304 | Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The View from SaturdayE. L. Konigsburg · 1996 | 33 | 176 | Structure (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceswearingabuse |
| Animal FarmGeorge Orwell · 1945 | 34 | 160 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| BombSteve Sheinkin · 2012 | 34 | 304 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Firekeeper's DaughterAngeline Boulley · 2021 | 34 | 512 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance usesexual contentabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Persepolis: The Story of a ChildhoodMarjane Satrapi · 2000 | 34 | 160 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| The Bean TreesBarbara Kingsolver · 1988 | 34 | 240 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1947 | 34 | 352 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Other Wes MooreWes Moore · 2010 | 34 | 272 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useabusesexual contentswearing |
| The Poet XElizabeth Acevedo · 2018 | 34 | 384 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| The Power of HabitCharles Duhigg · 2012 | 34 | 416 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 2 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Red PonyJohn Steinbeck · 1937 | 34 | 112 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| A Walk in the WoodsBill Bryson · 1997 | 35 | 304 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 2 / 5 | swearingviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| MatchedAlly Condie · 2010 | 35 | 416 | Ideas (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance use |
| Nothing but the TruthAvi · 1991 | 35 | 208 | Structure (4/5) | 3 / 5 | swearingabuse |
| Sweet ThursdayJohn Steinbeck · 1954 | 35 | 288 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 3 / 5 | substance useviolencesexual contentswearing |
| The Devil's ArithmeticJane Yolen · 1988 | 35 | 176 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| The Illustrated ManRay Bradbury · 1951 | 35 | 304 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The StrangerAlbert Camus · 1942 | 35 | 144 | Ideas (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| All American BoysJason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely · 2015 | 36 | 336 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual contentsubstance use |
| American Born ChineseGene Luen Yang · 2006 | 36 | 240 | Structure (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Bread GiversAnzia Yezierska · 1925 | 36 | 336 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolenceswearing |
| CandideVoltaire · 1759 | 36 | 144 | Ideas (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury · 1953 | 36 | 256 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicideswearingsubstance use |
| I Am MalalaMalala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb · 2013 | 36 | 368 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| Just MercyBryan Stevenson · 2014 | 36 | 349 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Laughing BoyOliver La Farge · 1929 | 36 | 208 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The 5th WaveRick Yancey · 2013 | 36 | 480 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsexual contentabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Member of the WeddingCarson McCullers · 1946 | 36 | 176 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| UnwindNeal Shusterman · 2007 | 36 | 384 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Warriors Don't CryMelba Pattillo Beals · 1994 | 36 | 336 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual contentself-harm or suicide |
| Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Edward Albee · 1962 | 36 | 272 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | swearingsubstance useabuseviolencesexual content |
| A Lesson Before DyingErnest J. Gaines · 1993 | 37 | 272 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | swearingviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| FeedM. T. Anderson · 2002 | 37 | 320 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingviolencesexual contentsubstance use |
| FencesAugust Wilson · 1986 | 37 | 128 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | swearingabuseviolencesexual contentsubstance use |
| HolesLouis Sachar · 1998 | 37 | 288 | Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| O Pioneers!Willa Cather · 1913 | 37 | 256 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Second Class CitizenBuchi Emecheta · 1974 | 37 | 174 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The GiverLois Lowry · 1993 | 37 | 240 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| UnbrokenLaura Hillenbrand · 2010 | 37 | 528 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useabusesexual contentswearingself-harm or suicide |
| Winesburg, OhioSherwood Anderson · 1919 | 37 | 272 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsMaya Angelou · 1969 | 38 | 304 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| MonsterWalter Dean Myers · 1999 | 38 | 336 | Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Boy Who DaredSusan Campbell Bartoletti · 2008 | 38 | 208 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Ocean at the End of the LaneNeil Gaiman · 2013 | 38 | 192 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| A Christmas CarolCharles Dickens · 1843 | 39 | 160 | Writing (4/5) | 3 / 5 | substance useabuse |
| A Farewell to ArmsErnest Hemingway · 1929 | 39 | 336 | Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance usesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| All My SonsArthur Miller · 1947 | 39 | 112 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Brown Girl DreamingJacqueline Woodson · 2014 | 39 | 368 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| Enrique's JourneySonia Nazario · 2006 | 39 | 400 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance usesexual contentswearingabuse |
| Into the WildJon Krakauer · 1996 | 39 | 240 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 1954 | 39 | 272 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuseswearing |
| Much Ado About NothingWilliam Shakespeare · 1600 | 39 | 144 | Writing (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Narrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass · 1845 | 39 | 160 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Good EarthPearl S. Buck · 1931 | 39 | 368 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Radium GirlsKate Moore · 2016 | 39 | 504 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabuse |
| AntigoneSophocles · -441 | 40 | 56 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | self-harm or suicideviolenceabuse |
| Cyrano de BergeracEdmond Rostand · 1898 | 40 | 224 | Writing (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Ethan FromeEdith Wharton · 1911 | 40 | 128 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | self-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| Salt to the SeaRuta Sepetys · 2016 | 40 | 448 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| ScytheNeal Shusterman · 2016 | 40 | 464 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| The Glass MenagerieTennessee Williams · 1945 | 40 | 128 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingsubstance useabuse |
| The Glory FieldWalter Dean Myers · 1994 | 40 | 400 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingviolencesubstance useabuse |
| The Princess BrideWilliam Goldman · 1973 | 40 | 464 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| A Separate PeaceJohn Knowles · 1959 | 41 | 208 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Nectar in a SieveKamala Markandaya · 1954 | 41 | 190 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| Our TownThornton Wilder · 1938 | 41 | 208 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | substance useself-harm or suicide |
| RebeccaDaphne du Maurier · 1938 | 41 | 448 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Boy in the Striped PajamasJohn Boyne · 2006 | 41 | 224 | Ideas, Background (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| All But My LifeGerda Weissmann Klein · 1957 | 42 | 272 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentself-harm or suicide |
| Manchild in the Promised LandClaude Brown · 1965 | 42 | 416 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Ordinary PeopleJudith Guest · 1976 | 42 | 272 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | self-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The ChosenChaim Potok · 1967 | 42 | 272 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 3 / 5 | abuseviolenceswearing |
| The House of the ScorpionNancy Farmer · 2002 | 42 | 400 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | abuseviolenceswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Piano LessonAugust Wilson · 1990 | 42 | 144 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| A Man for All SeasonsRobert Bolt · 1960 | 43 | 192 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| A Raisin in the SunLorraine Hansberry · 1959 | 43 | 176 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| All the Pretty HorsesCormac McCarthy · 1992 | 43 | 320 | Writing (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Black BoyRichard Wright · 1945 | 43 | 448 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual contentsubstance use |
| ChainsLaurie Halse Anderson · 2008 | 43 | 336 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesubstance use |
| Ender's GameOrson Scott Card · 1985 | 43 | 352 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual contentself-harm or suicide |
| Incidents in the Life of a Slave GirlHarriet A. Jacobs · 1861 | 43 | 320 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Memoirs of a GeishaArthur Golden · 1997 | 43 | 448 | Writing, Ideas (3/5) | 4 / 5 | sexual contentabuseviolencesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Nine StoriesJ. D. Salinger · 1953 | 43 | 320 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | substance useself-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentswearingabuse |
| The CrucibleArthur Miller · 1953 | 43 | 176 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1925 | 43 | 180 | Writing (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance usesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Hot ZoneRichard Preston · 1994 | 43 | 352 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| The RoadCormac McCarthy · 2006 | 43 | 304 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuseself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| Things Fall ApartChinua Achebe · 1958 | 43 | 224 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Walk Two MoonsSharon Creech · 1994 | 43 | 304 | Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| Flowers for AlgernonDaniel Keyes · 1966 | 44 | 336 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | sexual contentabuseviolenceswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and SweetJamie Ford · 2009 | 44 | 368 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| MonsterSanyika Shakur · 1993 | 44 | 400 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual contentsubstance use |
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestKen Kesey · 1962 | 44 | 272 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Color PurpleAlice Walker · 1982 | 44 | 256 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabusesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The MetamorphosisFranz Kafka · 1915 | 44 | 368 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolenceswearingself-harm or suicide |
| The NamesakeJhumpa Lahiri · 2003 | 44 | 336 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | sexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Thing Around Your NeckChimamanda Ngozi Adichie · 2009 | 44 | 240 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| All Quiet on the Western FrontErich Maria Remarque · 1928 | 45 | 295 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeRobert Louis Stevenson · 1886 | 45 | 160 | Writing (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Paddy Clarke Ha Ha HaRoddy Doyle · 1993 | 45 | 288 | Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseswearingsubstance use |
| SiddharthaHermann Hesse · 1922 | 45 | 160 | Ideas (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Death of Ivan IlyichLeo Tolstoy · 1886 | 45 | 128 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | sexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| The HelpKathryn Stockett · 2009 | 45 | 544 | Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingabuseviolencesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam Shakespeare · 1600 | 46 | 256 | Writing (4/5) | 2 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseself-harm or suicide |
| HiroshimaJohn Hersey · 1946 | 46 | 208 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Dandelion WineRay Bradbury · 1957 | 47 | 256 | Writing (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance use |
| Into Thin AirJon Krakauer · 1997 | 47 | 384 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| Jurassic ParkMichael Crichton · 1990 | 47 | 464 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsexual contentsubstance use |
| MedeaEuripides · -431 | 47 | 62 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuseswearingself-harm or suicide |
| Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen · 1813 | 47 | 384 | Writing (4/5) | 3 / 5 | sexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| Slaughterhouse-FiveKurt Vonnegut · 1969 | 47 | 288 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The AwakeningKate Chopin · 1899 | 47 | 240 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | self-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The Kite RunnerKhaled Hosseini · 2003 | 47 | 384 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicidesubstance use |
| A Thousand Splendid SunsKhaled Hosseini · 2007 | 48 | 432 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Bless Me, UltimaRudolfo Anaya · 1972 | 48 | 304 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Cry, the Beloved CountryAlan Paton · 1948 | 48 | 320 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Dinner at the Homesick RestaurantAnne Tyler · 1982 | 48 | 320 | Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentsubstance use |
| Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare · 1597 | 48 | 336 | Writing (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| MythologyEdith Hamilton · 1942 | 49 | 496 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The JungleUpton Sinclair · 1906 | 49 | 480 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useabusesexual contentswearingself-harm or suicide |
| The Taming of the ShrewWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 | 49 | 144 | Writing (4/5) | 3 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| Brave New WorldAldous Huxley · 1932 | 50 | 288 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | sexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicideviolenceswearingabuse |
| Madame BovaryGustave Flaubert · 1856 | 50 | 384 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | self-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Maus IArt Spiegelman · 1986 | 50 | 160 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Native SonRichard Wright · 1940 | 50 | 544 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin · 1963 | 50 | 128 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The Long GoodbyeRaymond Chandler · 1953 | 50 | 384 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 4 / 5 | substance useviolencesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Between the World and MeTa-Nehisi Coates · 2015 | 51 | 176 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingabuse |
| In the Time of the ButterfliesJulia Alvarez · 1994 | 51 | 352 | Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Life of PiYann Martel · 2001 | 51 | 352 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Station ElevenEmily St. John Mandel · 2014 | 51 | 352 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMark Twain · 1884 | 51 | 336 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingviolencesubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Color of WaterJames McBride · 1996 | 51 | 336 | Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| The Joy Luck ClubAmy Tan · 1989 | 51 | 352 | Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Night Thoreau Spent in JailJerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee · 1970 | 51 | 112 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuse |
| The Round HouseLouise Erdrich · 2012 | 51 | 336 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseswearingsubstance use |
| A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens · 1859 | 52 | 416 | Writing (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| Childhood's EndArthur C. Clarke · 1953 | 52 | 256 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Death of a SalesmanArthur Miller · 1949 | 52 | 144 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | self-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| MacbethWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 | 52 | 304 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Maus IIArt Spiegelman · 1991 | 52 | 144 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabuseswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| My ÁntoniaWilla Cather · 1918 | 52 | 244 | Writing (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| DublinersJames Joyce · 1914 | 53 | 320 | Ideas (4/5) | 3 / 5 | substance useviolencesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| FlatlandEdwin Abbott Abbott · 1884 | 53 | 144 | Ideas (4/5) | 2 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck · 1939 | 53 | 528 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne · 1850 | 53 | 288 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Killers of the Flower MoonDavid Grann · 2017 | 54 | 416 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Purple HibiscusChimamanda Ngozi Adichie · 2003 | 54 | 336 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| The Book ThiefMarkus Zusak · 2005 | 54 | 576 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The PlagueAlbert Camus · 1947 | 54 | 352 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Things They CarriedTim O'Brien · 1990 | 54 | 256 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Their Eyes Were Watching GodZora Neale Hurston · 1937 | 54 | 240 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual contentsubstance use |
| A Room of One's OwnVirginia Woolf · 1929 | 55 | 128 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| All the Light We Cannot SeeAnthony Doerr · 2014 | 55 | 544 | Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| GalileoBertolt Brecht · 1948 | 55 | 160 | Ideas (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violence |
| HomegoingYaa Gyasi · 2016 | 55 | 320 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuseswearingself-harm or suicide |
| PassingNella Larsen · 1929 | 55 | 160 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingviolencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde · 1890 | 55 | 304 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| There ThereTommy Orange · 2018 | 55 | 304 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicidesexual contentabuse |
| DemianHermann Hesse · 1919 | 56 | 176 | Ideas (5/5) | 3 / 5 | substance useabuseviolencesexual contentswearingself-harm or suicide |
| Franny and ZooeyJ. D. Salinger · 1961 | 56 | 208 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | substance usesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Gulliver's TravelsJonathan Swift · 1726 | 56 | 336 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| 1984George Orwell · 1949 | 57 | 268 | Ideas (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens · 1861 | 57 | 480 | Writing (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuse |
| Julius CaesarWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 | 57 | 304 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicideswearingsubstance use |
| The Autobiography of Malcolm XAlex Haley, Malcolm X · 1965 | 57 | 496 | Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | swearingsubstance useviolencesexual contentabuseself-harm or suicide |
| The Immortal Life of Henrietta LacksRebecca Skloot · 2010 | 57 | 400 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Once and Future KingT. H. White · 1958 | 57 | 640 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë · 1847 | 57 | 400 | Writing, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| OthelloWilliam Shakespeare · 1622 | 58 | 96 | Writing (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Jude the ObscureThomas Hardy · 1895 | 59 | 336 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingabuse |
| The House of MirthEdith Wharton · 1905 | 59 | 368 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | substance useself-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentabuse |
| Waiting for GodotSamuel Beckett · 1952 | 59 | 96 | Ideas (5/5) | 3 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Billy Budd, SailorHerman Melville · 1924 | 60 | 160 | Writing (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Notes from UndergroundFyodor Dostoyevsky · 1864 | 60 | 160 | Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| The Canterbury TalesGeoffrey Chaucer · 1400 | 60 | 544 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuseswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The TempestWilliam Shakespeare · 1623 | 60 | 304 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Extremely Loud and Incredibly CloseJonathan Safran Foer · 2005 | 61 | 368 | Structure (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Tess of the D'UrbervillesThomas Hardy · 1891 | 61 | 432 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The FountainheadAyn Rand · 1943 | 61 | 720 | Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | sexual contentabuseviolenceswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Woman WarriorMaxine Hong Kingston · 1976 | 61 | 224 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| FrankensteinMary Shelley · 1818 | 62 | 256 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Go Tell It on the MountainJames Baldwin · 1953 | 62 | 240 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë · 1847 | 62 | 480 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 5 / 5 | abuseviolencesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Praisesong for the WidowPaule Marshall · 1983 | 62 | 256 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The Count of Monte CristoAlexandre Dumas · 1844 | 62 | 1488 | Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabuseself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| The Return of the NativeThomas Hardy · 1878 | 62 | 512 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Sing, Unburied, SingJesmyn Ward · 2017 | 63 | 320 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabusesexual content |
| The TrialFranz Kafka · 1925 | 63 | 304 | Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| A Canticle for LeibowitzWalter M. Miller Jr. · 1959 | 64 | 352 | Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| AmericanahChimamanda Ngozi Adichie · 2013 | 64 | 588 | Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | sexual contentabuseviolenceswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Heart Is a Lonely HunterCarson McCullers · 1940 | 64 | 368 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicidesexual content |
| The IliadHomer · -700 | 64 | 848 | Writing, Ideas, Structure, Background (3/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoyevsky · 1866 | 65 | 564 | Ideas (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance usesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Heart of DarknessJoseph Conrad · 1899 | 65 | 160 | Writing, Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingabusesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Merchant of VeniceWilliam Shakespeare · 1600 | 65 | 288 | Writing (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The OdysseyHomer · -700 | 65 | 560 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Turn of the ScrewHenry James · 1898 | 65 | 172 | Writing (5/5) | 4 / 5 | sexual contentsubstance useabuse |
| The CrossingCormac McCarthy · 1994 | 66 | 432 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance use |
| Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are DeadTom Stoppard · 1967 | 67 | 128 | Ideas (5/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabuseself-harm or suicide |
| Catch-22Joseph Heller · 1961 | 68 | 464 | Structure (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| GrendelJohn Gardner · 1971 | 68 | 192 | Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabusesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Poisonwood BibleBarbara Kingsolver · 1998 | 68 | 560 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| King LearWilliam Shakespeare · 1608 | 69 | 256 | Writing (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingself-harm or suicide |
| An American TragedyTheodore Dreiser · 1925 | 70 | 896 | Writing, Ideas (4/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| A Vindication of the Rights of WomanMary Wollstonecraft · 1792 | 72 | 256 | Writing, Ideas (5/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentabuse |
| Don QuixoteMiguel de Cervantes Saavedra · 1605 | 72 | 992 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 3 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| King Henry IV Part 1William Shakespeare · 1598 | 72 | 416 | Writing (5/5) | 3 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| The Sound and the FuryWilliam Faulkner · 1929 | 72 | 384 | Writing, Structure (5/5) | 5 / 5 | swearingabuseself-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentsubstance use |
| To the LighthouseVirginia Woolf · 1927 | 74 | 224 | Writing, Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Anna KareninaLeo Tolstoy · 1875 | 75 | 976 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | self-harm or suicideviolencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Les MiserablesVictor Hugo · 1862 | 75 | 1488 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (4/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentswearingsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| HamletWilliam Shakespeare · 1603 | 76 | 342 | Writing, Ideas (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violenceself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Invisible ManRalph Ellison · 1952 | 76 | 608 | Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabusesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Brothers KaramazovFyodor Dostoyevsky · 1880 | 76 | 840 | Ideas (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesubstance useabuseself-harm or suicidesexual contentswearing |
| All the King's MenRobert Penn Warren · 1946 | 77 | 672 | Ideas, Structure (5/5) | 4 / 5 | swearingsubstance useviolencesexual contentabuseself-harm or suicide |
| BelovedToni Morrison · 1987 | 79 | 360 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabusesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Moby-DickHerman Melville · 1851 | 82 | 672 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
| A Portrait of the Artist as a Young ManJames Joyce · 1916 | 83 | 384 | Writing, Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingsubstance useabuse |
| Paradise LostJohn Milton · 1667 | 87 | 512 | Writing, Ideas (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violenceabusesexual contentsubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| Light in AugustWilliam Faulkner · 1932 | 88 | 528 | Writing, Ideas, Structure (5/5) | 5 / 5 | violencesexual contentswearingabusesubstance useself-harm or suicide |
| The Waste LandT. S. Eliot · 1922 | 90 | 320 | Writing, Ideas, Structure, Background (5/5) | 4 / 5 | violencesexual contentsubstance useabuseself-harm or suicide |
Sources and method
The sample includes titles on the school lists below that have a certified guide here. It is not a survey of how often books are assigned. Source lists may include approved choices, suggested texts and extracts; an extract listing does not establish that the entire work is taught.
Reading effort starts from writing, ideas, structure and background knowledge, each scored 1-5, then adjusts for pace and length, into a 0-100 score. It describes reading demand, not literary quality, age suitability or emotional intensity. Page counts refer to the edition in each guide and vary between editions.
Content notes use the guide’s six categories. Every category marked strong or mild is shown; categories marked none are left out. Missing information is not treated as none.
Book details last checked November 3, 2026.
- Approved Curriculum Instructional Resources Grades 9–12, 2026–2027 — Howard County Public School System (Maryland)
- HS ELA Guide: Approved Novels and Plays for Grades 9–10 — Canyons School District (Utah)
- HS ELA Guide: Approved Novels and Plays for Grades 9–10 — Canyons School District (Utah)
- HS ELA Guide: Approved Novels and Plays for Grades 11–12 — Canyons School District (Utah)
- HS ELA Guide: Approved Novels and Plays for Grades 11–12 — Canyons School District (Utah)
- English Language Arts: Approved Novels and Approved Literature — Gilbert Public Schools (Arizona)
- Middle School English Language Arts Instructional Guide: Approved, Commonly Taught Novels for Grade 6 — Canyons School District (Utah)
- Middle School English Language Arts Instructional Guide: Approved, Commonly Taught Novels for Grades 7–8 — Canyons School District (Utah)
- Curriculum: English Language Arts, Approved Books — Auburn School District 408 (Washington)
- Literature Selection Review — Olentangy Local School District (Ohio)