Cover of The Junkyard Dog

The Junkyard Dog

by Erika Tamar

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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

The Junkyard Dog by Erika Tamar 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 The Junkyard Dog 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
185
Reading time
about 3h 25m (est.)
First published
1997
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780590109024

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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About this book

With the advice of her stepfather, eleven-year-old Katie takes on the job of feeding an abused junkyard dog and building it a doghouse for shelter during the hard winter.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like The Junkyard Dog→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 3–5. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on stepfamily and stories; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

stepfamily · stories · pets · stepfathers

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is The Junkyard Dog?
The Junkyard Dog 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 The Junkyard Dog?
It takes about 3h 25m to read The Junkyard Dog (185 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 The Junkyard Dog?
The Junkyard Dog appears on reading lists for Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Junkyard Dog banned in schools?
The Junkyard Dog 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 The Junkyard Dog explore?
Central themes in The Junkyard Dog include stepfamily, stories, pets, stepfathers. 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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