Rescue Josh McGuire

by Ben Mikaelsen

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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state

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 Award

Rescue Josh McGuire by Ben Mikaelsen is assigned in US schools at grades 3–5. 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 Rescue Josh McGuire is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 3–5
Age range
Ages 8–10
Pages
266
Reading time
about 4h 55m (est.)
First published
1991
Genre
Adventure
ISBN-13
9781562820992

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

When thirteen-year-old Josh runs away to the mountains of Montana with an orphaned bear cub destined for laboratory testing, they both must fight for their lives in a sudden snowstorm.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Rescue Josh McGuire→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Adventure title, typically at grades 3–5. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on wildlife rescue and orphaned animals; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

wildlife rescue · orphaned animals · bears · runaways

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Rescue Josh McGuire?
Rescue Josh McGuire is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–5. 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 Rescue Josh McGuire?
It takes about 4h 55m to read Rescue Josh McGuire (266 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 295 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Rescue Josh McGuire?
Rescue Josh McGuire appears on reading lists for Nebraska Golden Sower Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Rescue Josh McGuire banned in schools?
Rescue Josh McGuire 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 Rescue Josh McGuire explore?
Central themes in Rescue Josh McGuire include wildlife rescue, orphaned animals, bears, runaways. 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 3–5 — 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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