
Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle
by Brian Dennis · Grades 4–8 · Nonfiction
Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle by Brian Dennis is on US reading lists at grades 4–8. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 3 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 9–13 · Grades 4–8 · 46 pages. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9780316053181). 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 Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle 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 4–8
- Age range
- Ages 9–13
- Pages
- 46
- Reading time
- about 50 minutes (est.)
- First published
- 2010
- Genre
- Nonfiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780316053181
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 grade 3?
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About this book
Book facts and sources (3)
- On award reading lists
- California Young Reader Medal (source: californiayoungreadermedal.org)
- Kentucky Bluegrass Award (source: kasl.us)
- Maine Student Book Award (source: sites.google.com)
- Catalog record
- First published 2010 · 46 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This nonfiction title is typically read at grades 4–8. Written in the 2010s; cited on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists.
Where this book is recommended
California Young Reader Medal
- recommended·3rd grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2013 winner (Picture Books for Older Readers)
- recommended·4th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2013 winner (Picture Books for Older Readers)
- recommended·5th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2013 winner (Picture Books for Older Readers)
- recommended·6th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2013 winner (Picture Books for Older Readers)
- recommended·7th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2013 winner (Picture Books for Older Readers)
- recommended·8th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2013 winner (Picture Books for Older Readers)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle, 2011 winner (3-5)
- recommended·4th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle, 2011 winner (3-5)
- recommended·5th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle, 2011 winner (3-5)
Maine Student Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Mainesource: Maine Student Book Award — past winners, 2011 winner (grades 4-8)
- recommended·5th grade · Mainesource: Maine Student Book Award — past winners, 2011 winner (grades 4-8)
- recommended·6th grade · Mainesource: Maine Student Book Award — past winners, 2011 winner (grades 4-8)
- recommended·7th grade · Mainesource: Maine Student Book Award — past winners, 2011 winner (grades 4-8)
- recommended·8th grade · Mainesource: Maine Student Book Award — past winners, 2011 winner (grades 4-8)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle?
- Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle is listed for grades 4–8. 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 Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle?
- It takes about 50 minutes to read Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle (46 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 50 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle?
- Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal, Kentucky Bluegrass Award, Maine Student Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle banned in schools?
- Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle 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 4–8 — 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.