
The World According to Humphrey
by Betty G. Birney · Grades 3–6
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney is on US reading lists at grades 3–6. It appears on 5 lists: 5 book-award lists, across 5 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 3–6 · 145 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781101100103). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Among the most widely assigned — 5 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 World According to Humphrey 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
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?
If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
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About this book
Book facts and sources (5)
- Award won
- Iowa Children's Choice Award, 2007 (source: Goodreads)
- On award reading lists
- Rhode Island Children's Book Award (source: olis.ri.gov)
- Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award (source: Wikipedia)
- Nebraska Golden Sower Award (source: nebraskalibraries.org)
- Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (source: maslmd.org)
- Catalog record
- First published 2005 · 145 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
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Where this book is recommended
Iowa Children's Choice Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 2007
- recommended·4th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 2007
- recommended·5th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 2007
- recommended·6th grade · Iowasource: Iowa Children's Choice Award winners (Iowa Association of School Librarians), via Goodreads award record — 2007
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Association of School Librarians — Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (student-choice; grades 3-5, 4-6, 6-8, 6-9; annual since 1992)
- recommended·4th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Association of School Librarians — Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (student-choice; grades 3-5, 4-6, 6-8, 6-9; annual since 1992)
- recommended·5th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Association of School Librarians — Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (student-choice; grades 3-5, 4-6, 6-8, 6-9; annual since 1992)
- recommended·6th grade · Marylandsource: Maryland Association of School Librarians — Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (student-choice; grades 3-5, 4-6, 6-8, 6-9; annual since 1992)
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)
Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Oklahomasource: Oklahoma Library Association — Sequoyah Book Award, Children's (gr 3-5) + Intermediate (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1959); winner roll 1959-2025
- recommended·4th grade · Oklahomasource: Oklahoma Library Association — Sequoyah Book Award, Children's (gr 3-5) + Intermediate (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1959); winner roll 1959-2025
- recommended·5th grade · Oklahomasource: Oklahoma Library Association — Sequoyah Book Award, Children's (gr 3-5) + Intermediate (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1959); winner roll 1959-2025
- recommended·6th grade · Oklahomasource: Oklahoma Library Association — Sequoyah Book Award, Children's (gr 3-5) + Intermediate (gr 6-8) divisions (student-choice; since 1959); winner roll 1959-2025
Rhode Island Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Rhode Islandsource: Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) — Rhode Island Children's Book Award winners and nominees 1991-2025 — 2006 winner
- recommended·4th grade · Rhode Islandsource: Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) — Rhode Island Children's Book Award winners and nominees 1991-2025 — 2006 winner
- recommended·5th grade · Rhode Islandsource: Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) — Rhode Island Children's Book Award winners and nominees 1991-2025 — 2006 winner
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Common questions
- What grade level is The World According to Humphrey?
- The World According to Humphrey is listed for grades 3–6. It appears on 5 state book-award lists across 5 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read The World According to Humphrey?
- It takes about 2h 40m to read The World According to Humphrey (145 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 160 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign The World According to Humphrey?
- The World According to Humphrey appears on reading lists for Iowa Children's Choice Award, Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, Nebraska Golden Sower Award, and 2 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The World According to Humphrey banned in schools?
- The World According to Humphrey 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 5 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.