Stone Fox
by John Reynolds Gardiner
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Widely assigned — 3 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).
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner is assigned in US schools at grades 3–5, with a Lexile measure of 550L. It appears across 3 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 Stone Fox is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 550L
- Grade range
- Grades 3–5
- Difficulty for grade
- Within the grade 2–3 band (420–820L)
- Age range
- Ages 8–11
- Pages
- 96
- Reading time
- about 1h 45m (est.)
- First published
- 1980
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780064401326
Reading difficulty: At 550L, Stone Fox falls within the typical 420–820L text-complexity range for 3rd grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.
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More formats & details
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About this book
Ten-year-old Little Willy enters a Wyoming dog sled race to win $500 to save the family farm, up against the legendary Native American musher Stone Fox. Gardiner's short novel has a devastating ending and is a fixture of 3rd-5th grade read-alouds.
Similar grade-level books
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Bridge to TerabithiaKatherine Paterson · 810L
See all books like Stone Fox→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Middle Grade Fiction title, reads at early-reader complexity, typically at grades 3–5. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on family and determination; cited across 3 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
family · determination · sacrifice · loss
Content notes
death of a beloved animal · poverty
Common Sense Media recommends age 8+.
Where this book is assigned
Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Alabamasource: Winner, Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award 1986, grades 4-6. Given by the Alabama State Department of Education, Library Media. Winner (not nominee); verified against the award archive 2026-09-04.
- recommended·5th grade · Alabamasource: Winner, Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award 1986, grades 4-6. Given by the Alabama State Department of Education, Library Media. Winner (not nominee); verified against the award archive 2026-09-04.
- recommended·6th grade · Alabamasource: Winner, Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award 1986, grades 4-6. Given by the Alabama State Department of Education, Library Media. Winner (not nominee); verified against the award archive 2026-09-04.
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction)
- recommended·3rd grade · Utahsource: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)
- recommended·4th grade · Utahsource: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)
- recommended·5th grade · Utahsource: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Stone Fox?
- Stone Fox is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–5, with a Lexile measure of 550L. It appears on 3 school reading lists across 2 states, from grade 3 to grade 6. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- What is the Lexile level of Stone Fox?
- Stone Fox has a Lexile measure of 550L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- How long does it take to read Stone Fox?
- It takes about 1h 45m to read Stone Fox (96 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 105 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is Stone Fox hard to read for 3rd grade?
- At 550L, Stone Fox falls within the typical 420–820L text-complexity range for 3rd grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- What curricula assign Stone Fox?
- Stone Fox appears on reading lists for Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award, Common Core State Standards (ELA), Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
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
- 550L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 3–5 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 3 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.