Cover of Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

by Jordan Sonnenblick

Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 3 states

On reading-award lists:Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers AwardMaud Hart Lovelace Book AwardRebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick is assigned in US schools at grades 6–9. It appears across 3 curriculum references and 3 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

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Grade range
Grades 6–9
Age range
Ages 11–15
First published
2010
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780545231169

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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About this book

Thirteen-year-old drummer Steven's life is upended when his little brother is diagnosed with leukemia, forcing him to grow up fast. (Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award winner.)

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See all books like Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 6–9. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on family and illness; cited across 3 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

family · illness · music

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie?
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 6–9. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
What curricula assign Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie?
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie appears on reading lists for Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award, Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie banned in schools?
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie 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 Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie explore?
Central themes in Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie include family, illness, music. 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 6–9 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 3 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: award-winner, book-club.

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