Cover of Wildfire

Wildfire

by Rodman Philbrick

Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick is assigned in US schools at grades 3–5. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Wildfire 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
Pages
174
Reading time
about 3h 10m (est.)
First published
2019
ISBN-13
9781338266917
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About this book

Newbery Honor author Rodman Philbrick sends readers straight into the nightmare of a raging wildfire as 12-year-old Sam is trapped by explosive flames and deadly smoke that threaten to take his life. Can he survive? Flames race toward Sam Castine's summer camp as evacuation buses are loading, but Sam runs back to get his phone. Suddenly, a flash of heat blasts him as pine trees explode. Now a wall of fire separates Sam from his bus, and there's only one thing to do: Run for his life. Run or die.Lungs burning, Sam's only goal is to keep moving. Drought has made the forest a tinderbox, and Sam struggles to remember survival tricks he learned from his late father. Then, when he least expects it, he encounters Delphy, an older girl who is also lost. Their unlikely friendship grows as they join

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Wildfire?
Wildfire 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 Wildfire?
It takes about 3h 10m to read Wildfire (174 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 190 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Wildfire?
Wildfire appears on reading lists for Nebraska Golden Sower Award, William Allen White Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Wildfire banned in schools?
Wildfire 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

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 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.