Attaboy, Sam!
by Lois Lowry
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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 2 states
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry is assigned in US schools at grades 4–6. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Attaboy, Sam! 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 4–6
- Age range
- Ages 9–11
- Pages
- 122
- Reading time
- about 2h 15m (est.)
- First published
- 1992
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780544582361
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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See all books like Attaboy, Sam!→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 4–6. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on gifts and birthdays; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
gifts · birthdays · family life · family
Where this book is assigned
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Arkansassource: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award — Arkansas's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Arkansassource: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award — Arkansas's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Arkansassource: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award — Arkansas's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
Iowa Children's Choice Award
- recommended·4th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
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Common questions
- What grade level is Attaboy, Sam!?
- Attaboy, Sam! is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–6. It appears on 2 school reading lists across 2 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Attaboy, Sam!?
- It takes about 2h 15m to read Attaboy, Sam! (122 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 135 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Attaboy, Sam!?
- Attaboy, Sam! appears on reading lists for Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award, Iowa Children's Choice Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Attaboy, Sam! banned in schools?
- Attaboy, Sam! 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.
- What themes does Attaboy, Sam! explore?
- Central themes in Attaboy, Sam! include gifts, birthdays, family life, family.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
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 4–6 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.