Cover of Rascal

Rascal

by Sterling North

Widely assigned — 4 curriculum lists · 8 states

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

On reading-award lists:Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice AwardVermont Golden Dome Book AwardWilliam Allen White Children's Book AwardOklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award

Rascal by Sterling North is assigned in US schools at grades 5–8. It appears across 4 curriculum references and 8 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Rascal is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Audible trial: new members only. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Grade range
Grades 5–8
Age range
Ages 10–13
Pages
210
Reading time
about 3h 50m (est.)
First published
1963
Genre
Middle Grade Fiction
ISBN-13
9781101660492

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. Pricing, Prime, and trial terms shown on Amazon.

About this book

Sterling North's Newbery Honor memoir recounts a year of his small-town Wisconsin boyhood in 1918, when he raised an orphaned baby raccoon named Rascal. As the mischievous, ever-growing raccoon shares his bedroom, his bicycle basket, and his adventures, North captures both the freedom of a rural childhood and the bittersweet moment when a wild animal must be returned to the wild.

Similar grade-level books

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

Why widely assigned

This Middle Grade Fiction title, typically at grades 5–8. Written in the 1960s; pairs with curriculum units on nature and animals; cited across 4 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

nature · animals · family · growing up · perseverance

Where this book is assigned

Was this page helpful?

Common questions

What grade level is Rascal?
Rascal is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 5–8. 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 Rascal?
It takes about 3h 50m to read Rascal (210 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 Rascal?
Rascal appears on reading lists for Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award, Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award, Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, and 1 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Rascal banned in schools?
Rascal 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 Rascal explore?
Central themes in Rascal include nature, animals, family, growing up, perseverance. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

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 state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 4 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 8 states ELA frameworks 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.

Keep browsing