Cover of Cracker Jackson

Cracker Jackson

by Betsy Cromer Byars

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:William Allen White Children's Book Award

Cracker Jackson by Betsy Cromer Byars is assigned in US schools at grades 4–8. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Cracker Jackson 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 4–8
Age range
Ages 9–13
Pages
137
Reading time
about 2h 30m (est.)
First published
1985
Genre
Adventure
ISBN-13
9780670805464

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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Similar grade-level books

See all books like Cracker Jackson→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Adventure title, typically at grades 4–8. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on wife abuse and boys, fiction; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

wife abuse · boys, fiction · adventure and adventurers, fiction

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Cracker Jackson?
Cracker Jackson is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–8. 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 Cracker Jackson?
It takes about 2h 30m to read Cracker Jackson (137 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 150 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Cracker Jackson?
Cracker Jackson appears on reading lists for William Allen White Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Cracker Jackson banned in schools?
Cracker Jackson 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 Cracker Jackson explore?
Central themes in Cracker Jackson include wife abuse, boys, fiction, adventure and adventurers, fiction. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

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 4–8 — 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
Cited in 1 state ELA framework 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.

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