Just Keep Walking
by Erin Soderberg Downing
Just Keep Walking by Erin Soderberg Downing is assigned in US schools at grades 3–6. 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 Just Keep Walking 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 3–6
- Age range
- Ages 8–12
- Pages
- 207
- Reading time
- about 3h 50m (est.)
- First published
- 2024
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781338851403
Where to find this book
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About this book
On a wilderness backpacking trip, a girl navigating the end of a friendship learns about resilience one step at a time. Erin Soderberg Downing's middle-grade novel is about friendship, the outdoors, and finding your own footing. Selected for the 2026 Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (grades 3-5), chosen each year by the Oklahoma Library Association.
Why widely assigned
This Middle Grade Fiction title, typically at grades 3–6. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on friendship and nature; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
Where this book is assigned
Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Oklahomasource: 2026 Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (Oklahoma Library Association)
- recommended·4th grade · Oklahomasource: 2026 Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (Oklahoma Library Association)
- recommended·5th grade · Oklahomasource: 2026 Children's Sequoyah Book Award Master List (Oklahoma Library Association)
Similar grade-level books
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
Charlotte's WebE.B. White · 680L
The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins · 810L
MatildaRoald Dahl · 840L
See all books like Just Keep Walking→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Just Keep Walking?
- Just Keep Walking 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 Just Keep Walking?
- It takes about 3h 50m to read Just Keep Walking (207 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 Just Keep Walking?
- Just Keep Walking appears on reading lists for Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Just Keep Walking banned in schools?
- Just Keep Walking 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 Just Keep Walking explore?
- Central themes in Just Keep Walking include friendship, nature, resilience. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
Why this book is on this list
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 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.