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You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye

by Patricia Hermes

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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 2 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).

On reading-award lists:California Young Reader MedalHawai'i Nēnē Award

You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes is assigned in US schools at grades 4–6. 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 You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye 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 4–6
Age range
Ages 9–11
Pages
117
Reading time
about 2h 10m (est.)
First published
1982
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780590331142

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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Similar grade-level books

See all books like You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 4–6. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on death and mothers and daughters; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

death · mothers and daughters · cancer · anglais (langue)

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye?
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–6. It appears on 2 school reading lists across 2 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye?
It takes about 2h 10m to read You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye (117 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 130 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye?
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal, Hawai'i Nēnē Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye banned in schools?
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye 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 You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye explore?
Central themes in You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye include death, mothers and daughters, cancer, anglais (langue).

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 4–6 — 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: book-club.

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