
The Old Willis Place
by Mary Downing Hahn · Grades 3–6
The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn is on US reading lists at grades 3–6. It appears on 6 lists: 6 book-award lists, across 5 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 3–6 · 164 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780358649939). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Among the most widely assigned — 6 curriculum lists · 5 states
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 The Old Willis Place 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 3–6
- Pages
- 164
- Reading time
- about 3 hours (est.)
- First published
- 2004
- ISBN-13
- 9780358649939
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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About this book
Book facts and sources (6)
- Award won
- Iowa Children's Choice Award, 2008 (source: Goodreads)
- On award reading lists
- South Carolina Children's Book Award (source: scasl.net)
- Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (source: libraries.vermont.gov)
- Volunteer State Book Award (source: sites.google.com)
- Nebraska Golden Sower Award (source: nebraskalibraries.org)
and 1 more in where it is taught
- Catalog record
- First published 2004 · 164 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
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Where this book is recommended
Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Vermontsource: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)
- recommended·5th grade · Vermontsource: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)
- recommended·6th grade · Vermontsource: Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Children's Book Award — official winners list (Vermont grades 4-8, annual since 1957)
Iowa Children's Choice Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 2008
- recommended·4th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 2008
- recommended·5th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 2008
- recommended·6th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 2008
Nebraska Golden Sower Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
- recommended·4th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
- recommended·5th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
- recommended·6th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
South Carolina Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 2008 winner
- recommended·4th grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 2008 winner
- recommended·5th grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 2008 winner
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Vermontsource: Vermont Dept. of Libraries — Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, est. 1957): Vermont's statewide grades 4-8 children's-choice program (students read the nominees and vote). Winner list 1957-2020.
- recommended·4th grade · Vermontsource: Vermont Dept. of Libraries — Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, est. 1957): Vermont's statewide grades 4-8 children's-choice program (students read the nominees and vote). Winner list 1957-2020.
- recommended·5th grade · Vermontsource: Vermont Dept. of Libraries — Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, est. 1957): Vermont's statewide grades 4-8 children's-choice program (students read the nominees and vote). Winner list 1957-2020.
- recommended·6th grade · Vermontsource: Vermont Dept. of Libraries — Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, est. 1957): Vermont's statewide grades 4-8 children's-choice program (students read the nominees and vote). Winner list 1957-2020.
Volunteer State Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Tennesseesource: Tennessee Library Association — Volunteer State Book Award, Intermediate (gr 4-6) + Middle School (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1979); past-winners roll
- recommended·4th grade · Tennesseesource: Tennessee Library Association — Volunteer State Book Award, Intermediate (gr 4-6) + Middle School (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1979); past-winners roll
- recommended·5th grade · Tennesseesource: Tennessee Library Association — Volunteer State Book Award, Intermediate (gr 4-6) + Middle School (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1979); past-winners roll
- recommended·6th grade · Tennesseesource: Tennessee Library Association — Volunteer State Book Award, Intermediate (gr 4-6) + Middle School (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1979); past-winners roll
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Common questions
- What grade level is The Old Willis Place?
- The Old Willis Place is listed for grades 3–6. It appears on 6 state book-award lists across 5 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read The Old Willis Place?
- It takes about 3 hours to read The Old Willis Place (164 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 180 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign The Old Willis Place?
- The Old Willis Place appears on reading lists for Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, Iowa Children's Choice Award, Nebraska Golden Sower Award, and 3 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The Old Willis Place banned in schools?
- The Old Willis Place 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.
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 3–6 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 6 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 5 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.