Cover of A Dog Called Homeless

A Dog Called Homeless

by Sarah Lean

A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean is assigned in US schools at grades 3–6. It appears across 2 curriculum references 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 A Dog Called Homeless 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 3–6
Pages
208
Reading time
about 3h 50m (est.)
First published
2012
ISBN-13
9780062122209
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About this book

Fifth-grader Cally Louise Fisher stops talking, partly because her father and brother never speak of her mother who died a year earlier, but visions of her mother, friendships with a homeless man and a disabled boy, and a huge dog ensure that she still communicates. 50,000 first printing.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is A Dog Called Homeless?
A Dog Called Homeless is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–6. 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 A Dog Called Homeless?
It takes about 3h 50m to read A Dog Called Homeless (208 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 230 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign A Dog Called Homeless?
A Dog Called Homeless appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal, Schneider Family Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is A Dog Called Homeless banned in schools?
A Dog Called Homeless 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 3–6 — 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 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: award-winner, book-club.