
Summer of Riley
by Eve Bunting · Grades 3–5 · Realistic Fiction
Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting is on US reading lists at grades 3–5. It appears on 1 list: the Virginia Readers' Choice, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 8–10 · Grades 3–5 · 170 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780756913663). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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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).
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.
Reading level at a glance
- 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
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 3?
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Why it is assigned
This realistic fiction title is typically read at grades 3–5. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on divorce and divorce in fiction; cited on the Virginia Readers' Choice.
Themes
divorce · divorce in fiction · oregon in fiction · dogs in fiction
Where this book is recommended
Virginia Readers' Choice
- recommended·3rd grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2003-2004 winner (Elementary)
- recommended·4th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2003-2004 winner (Elementary)
- recommended·5th grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 2003-2004 winner (Elementary)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Summer of Riley?
- Summer of Riley is listed for grades 3–5. It appears on 1 state book-award list across 1 state. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- 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. See the banned books list by state.
- What themes does Summer of Riley explore?
- Central themes in Summer of Riley include divorce, divorce in fiction, oregon in fiction, dogs in fiction.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
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 the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 1 state (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.