Cover of Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog)

Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog)

by Lynn Plourde · Grades 3–5 · Realistic Fiction

Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) by Lynn Plourde is on US reading lists at grades 3–5. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 3 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Ages 8–10 · Grades 3–5 · 274 pages. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9780399545672). 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).

On reading-award lists:Nebraska Golden Sower AwardMaine Student Book AwardYoung Hoosier Book Award

This page shows where Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) 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 3–5
Age range
Ages 8–10
Pages
274
Reading time
about 5 hours (est.)
First published
2016
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780399545672

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.

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About this book

Book facts and sources (3)
On award reading lists
Catalog record
First published 2016 · 274 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog)→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This realistic fiction title is typically read at grades 3–5. Written in the 2010s; cited on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists.

Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog)?
Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) is listed for grades 3–5. It appears on 3 state book-award lists across 3 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog)?
It takes about 5 hours to read Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) (274 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 300 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog)?
Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) appears on reading lists for Maine Student Book Award, Nebraska Golden Sower Award, Young Hoosier Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) banned in schools?
Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) 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 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 3–5 — 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.

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