Ellie's Story
by W. Bruce Cameron
Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 2 states
Ellie's Story by W. Bruce Cameron is assigned in US schools at grades 3–6. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Ellie's Story 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 3–6
- Age range
- Ages 8–11
- Pages
- 208
- Reading time
- about 3h 50m (est.)
- First published
- 2015
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781338037043
More formats & details
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
Trained as a search-and-rescue dog since puppyhood, Ellie can track and find people who are physically lost, but it is her owners, widower Jakob and lonely Maya, who challenge her to find a way to save people who are lost in other ways.
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See all books like Ellie's Story→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 3–6. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on working animals and search dogs; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
working animals · search dogs · human-animal relationships · dogs
Where this book is assigned
Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA)
- recommended·3rd grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·4th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) — Iowa's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 3-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award — Maryland's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-63-520): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·4th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award — Maryland's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-63-520): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award — Maryland's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-63-520): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award — Maryland's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-63-520): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
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Common questions
- What grade level is Ellie's Story?
- Ellie's Story is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–6. 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 Ellie's Story?
- It takes about 3h 50m to read Ellie's Story (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 Ellie's Story?
- Ellie's Story appears on reading lists for Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA), Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Ellie's Story banned in schools?
- Ellie's Story 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 Ellie's Story explore?
- Central themes in Ellie's Story include working animals, search dogs, human-animal relationships, 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 3–6 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 2 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: book-club.