Cover of A Sitting in St. James

A Sitting in St. James

by Rita Williams-Garcia

A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams-Garcia is assigned in US schools at grades 4–9. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where A Sitting in St. James is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 4–9
Pages
458
Reading time
about 8h 25m (est.)
First published
2021
Genre
Children's
ISBN-13
9780062367327
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About this book

Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award! 7 starred reviews! "Monumental." —Booklist (starred review) * "A marathon masterpiece."—Kirkus (starred review) * "Necessary."—SLJ (starred review) * "Shocking and dramatic."—Shelf Awareness (starred review) * "Mesmerizing, confounding and vividly rendered."—Book Page (starred review) * "Williams-Garcia’s storytelling is magnificent; her voice honest and authentic."—Horn Book (starred review) This astonishing novel from three-time National Book Award finalist Rita Williams-Garcia about the interwoven lives of those bound to a plantation in antebellum America is an epic masterwork—empathetic, brutal, and entirely human—and essential reading for both teens and adults grappling with the long history of American racism. 1860, Louisiana. After serving

Why widely assigned

This Children's title, typically at grades 4–9. Written in the 2020s; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is A Sitting in St. James?
A Sitting in St. James is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–9. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read A Sitting in St. James?
It takes about 8h 25m to read A Sitting in St. James (458 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 505 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign A Sitting in St. James?
A Sitting in St. James appears on reading lists for Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is A Sitting in St. James banned in schools?
A Sitting in St. James does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.

Why this book is on this list

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 4–9 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: read-aloud.