
Buddy
by M. H. Herlong · Grades 6–8
Buddy by M. H. Herlong is on US reading lists at grades 6–8. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 3 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Free at your library: Libby
Before you buy: Grades 6–8 · 239 pages. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9781101591796). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Widely assigned — 4 curriculum lists · 3 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).
This page shows where Buddy is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 3?
If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
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About this book
Book facts and sources (3)
- Award won
- William Allen White Children's Book Award, 2015 (source: Wikipedia)
- On award reading lists
- South Carolina Children's Book Award (source: scasl.net)
- Great Stone Face Book Award (source: librarything.com)
- Catalog record
- First published 2012 · 239 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
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See all books like Buddy→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Where this book is recommended
Great Stone Face Book Award
- recommended·6th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·7th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·8th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
South Carolina Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 2015 winner
- recommended·4th grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 2015 winner
- recommended·5th grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 2015 winner
William Allen White Children's Book Award
- recommended·6th grade · Kansassource: Kansas William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — winner list (grades 3-5 + 6-8 divisions) via Wikipedia — 2015 winner
- recommended·7th grade · Kansassource: Kansas William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — winner list (grades 3-5 + 6-8 divisions) via Wikipedia — 2015 winner
- recommended·8th grade · Kansassource: Kansas William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — winner list (grades 3-5 + 6-8 divisions) via Wikipedia — 2015 winner
William Allen White Children's Book Award
- recommended·6th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award winners (Emporia State University), via Wikipedia — 2015
- recommended·7th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award winners (Emporia State University), via Wikipedia — 2015
- recommended·8th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award winners (Emporia State University), via Wikipedia — 2015
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Common questions
- What grade level is Buddy?
- Buddy is listed for grades 6–8. It appears on 4 state book-award lists across 3 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Buddy?
- It takes about 4h 25m to read Buddy (239 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 265 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Buddy?
- Buddy appears on reading lists for Great Stone Face Book Award, South Carolina Children's Book Award, William Allen White Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Buddy banned in schools?
- Buddy 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
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 6–8 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 4 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 3 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.