Cover of Pocket Bear

Pocket Bear

by Katherine Applegate

Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state

On reading-award lists:Great Lakes Great Books Award

Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate is assigned in US schools at grades 4–5. 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 Pocket Bear is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

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Grade range
Grades 4–5
Pages
186
Reading time
about 3h 25m (est.)
Genre
Juvenile Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250904379

More formats & details

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About this book

Meet Pocket, created as a good luck charm for soldiers going into battle, whose bravery and loyalty lives on long after the war. From Katherine Applegate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Odder and The One and Only Ivan. Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his becoming: the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward. That way, glancing at his pocket, a soldier would see an endearing token of love from someone back home, and, hopefully, a good luck charm. Now, over a century later, Pocket serves as unofficial mayor of Second Chance

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Why widely assigned

This Juvenile Fiction title, typically at grades 4–5. Published in the canon; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Pocket Bear?
Pocket Bear is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–5. 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 Pocket Bear?
It takes about 3h 25m to read Pocket Bear (186 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 205 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Pocket Bear?
Pocket Bear appears on reading lists for Great Lakes Great Books Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Pocket Bear banned in schools?
Pocket Bear 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.

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 4–5 — 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.

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