
I Need My Monster
by Amanda Noll · Grades K–3 · Realistic Fiction
I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll is on US reading lists at grades k–3. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 3 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 5–8 · Grades K–3 · 21 pages. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9780979974625). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 3 states
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where I Need My Monster is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades K–3
- Age range
- Ages 5–8
- Pages
- 21
- Reading time
- about 25 minutes (est.)
- First published
- 2009
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780979974625
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for kindergarten?
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About this book
Book facts and sources (3)
- On award reading lists
- Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award (source: sites.google.com)
- California Young Reader Medal (source: californiayoungreadermedal.org)
- Virginia Readers' Choice (source: vslatoday.org)
- Catalog record
- First published 2009 · 21 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
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See all books like I Need My Monster→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This realistic fiction title is typically read at grades k–3. Written in the 2000s; cited on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists.
Where this book is recommended
Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award
- recommended·Kindergarten grade · Alabamasource: Alabama State Department of Education — Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award Archive of Winners 1980-present (updated 7/6/2022) — 2010-11 K-1 grades winner
- recommended·1st grade · Alabamasource: Alabama State Department of Education — Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award Archive of Winners 1980-present (updated 7/6/2022) — 2010-11 K-1 grades winner
California Young Reader Medal
- recommended·Kindergarten grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2012 winner (Primary)
- recommended·1st grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2012 winner (Primary)
- recommended·2nd grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2012 winner (Primary)
- recommended·3rd grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2012 winner (Primary)
Virginia Readers' Choice
- recommended·Kindergarten grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2012-2013 winner (Primary)
- recommended·1st grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2012-2013 winner (Primary)
- recommended·2nd grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2012-2013 winner (Primary)
- recommended·3rd grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2012-2013 winner (Primary)
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Common questions
- What grade level is I Need My Monster?
- I Need My Monster is listed for grades K–3. It appears on 3 state book-award lists across 3 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read I Need My Monster?
- It takes about 25 minutes to read I Need My Monster (21 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 25 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign I Need My Monster?
- I Need My Monster appears on reading lists for Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award, California Young Reader Medal, Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is I Need My Monster banned in schools?
- I Need My Monster 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. See the banned books list by state.
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–3 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 3 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.