Cover of Old Yeller

Old Yeller

by Fred Gipson · Grades 5–8 · Middle Grade Fiction

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson is on US reading lists at grades 5–8. It appears on 4 lists: 4 book-award lists, across 8 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Ages 10–13 · Grades 5–8 · 192 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780060739454). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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Widely assigned — 4 curriculum lists · 8 states

#48 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 8 states (2026-07-13 study of 13,258 assignments).

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:Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice AwardHawai'i Nēnē AwardWilliam Allen White Children's Book AwardOklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award

This page shows where Old Yeller 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 5–8
Age range
Ages 10–13
Pages
192
Reading time
about 3h 30m (est.)
First published
1956
Genre
Middle Grade Fiction
ISBN-13
9780060739454

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-07-07; 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 (4)
On award reading lists
Catalog record
First published 1956 · 192 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Old Yeller→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This middle grade fiction title is typically read at grades 5–8. Written in the 1950s; pairs with curriculum units on family and courage; cited on 4 lists: 4 book-award lists.

Themes

family · courage · survival · animals · grief · growing up

Where this book is recommended

Old Yeller by the numbers: pages, reading time and where it is listed, on Book Statistics.

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Common questions

What grade level is Old Yeller?
Old Yeller is listed for grades 5–8. It appears on 4 book-award lists across 8 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Old Yeller?
It takes about 3h 30m to read Old Yeller (192 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 210 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Old Yeller?
Old Yeller appears on reading lists for Hawai'i Nēnē Award, Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award, Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award, and 1 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Old Yeller banned in schools?
Old Yeller 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 Old Yeller explore?
Central themes in Old Yeller include family, courage, survival, animals, grief.

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 5–8 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 4 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
On state book-award lists in 8 states (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club, read-aloud.

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