Cover of Chickadee

Chickadee

by Louise Erdrich

Chickadee by Louise Erdrich is assigned in US schools at grades 4–7. 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 Chickadee 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 4–7
Pages
208
Reading time
about 3h 50m (est.)
First published
2012
ISBN-13
9780060577902
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About this book

Twin brothers Chickadee and Makoons have spent every day side by side and have done everything together since they were born—until the day the unthinkable happens and the brothers are separated. Desperate to reunite, Chickadee and his family must travel across new territories, forge unlikely friendships, and experience both unexpected moments of unbearable heartache as well as pure happiness. And through it all, Chickadee has the strength of his namesake, the chickadee, to carry him on. I am only the Chickadee Yet small things have great power I speak the truth. Launching a new arc in the celebrated Birchbark House series, Chickadee continues the story of one Ojibwe family's journey through one hundred years in America.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Chickadee?
Chickadee is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–7. 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 Chickadee?
It takes about 3h 50m to read Chickadee (208 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 230 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Chickadee?
Chickadee appears on reading lists for Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Chickadee banned in schools?
Chickadee 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 4–7 — 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: award-winner.