Cover of Summer of Riley

Summer of Riley

by Eve Bunting

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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:Virginia Readers' Choice

Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting 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 Summer of Riley 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
170
Reading time
about 3h 5m (est.)
First published
2001
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780756913663

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

Shortly after he gets the perfect dog, Riley, eleven-year-old William must fight for his dog's life after Riley is taken away because he chases and injures an elderly neighbor's old horse.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Summer of Riley→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 3–5. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on divorce and divorce in fiction; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

divorce · divorce in fiction · oregon in fiction · dogs in fiction

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Summer of Riley?
Summer of Riley 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 Summer of Riley?
It takes about 3h 5m to read Summer of Riley (170 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 185 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Summer of Riley?
Summer of Riley appears on reading lists for Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Summer of Riley banned in schools?
Summer of Riley 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 Summer of Riley explore?
Central themes in Summer of Riley include divorce, divorce in fiction, oregon in fiction, dogs in fiction. 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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