Don't Need Friends
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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).
Don't Need Friends by Carolyn Crimi is assigned in US schools at grades k–2. 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 Don't Need Friends 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 K–2
- Age range
- Ages 5–7
- First published
- 1999
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780385326438
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
After his best friend moves away, Rat rudely rebuffs the efforts of the other residents of the junkyard to be friendly, until he and a grouchy old dog decide that they need each other
Similar grade-level books
Two DogsIan Falconer
Frog and Toad Are FriendsArnold Lobel · 350L
The Cat in the HatDr. Seuss · 430L
Green Eggs and HamDr. Seuss · 210L
See all books like Don't Need Friends→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades k–2. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on animals and rats; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
animals · rats · friendship · dogs
Where this book is assigned
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
- recommended·Kindergarten grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle, 2001 winner (K-2)
- recommended·1st grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle, 2001 winner (K-2)
- recommended·2nd grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle, 2001 winner (K-2)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Don't Need Friends?
- Don't Need Friends is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades K–2. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What curricula assign Don't Need Friends?
- Don't Need Friends appears on reading lists for Kentucky Bluegrass Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Don't Need Friends banned in schools?
- Don't Need Friends 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 Don't Need Friends explore?
- Central themes in Don't Need Friends include animals, rats, friendship, dogs. 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 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 K–2 — 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.