
The Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown is assigned in US schools at grades 4–6, with a Lexile measure of 740L. It appears across 5 curriculum references and 5 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where The Wild Robot is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 740L
- Grade range
- Grades 4–6
- Difficulty for grade
- Within the grade 4–5 band (740–1010L)
- Age range
- Ages 8–12
- Pages
- 288
- Reading time
- about 5h 15m (est.)
- First published
- 2016
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780316382007
Reading difficulty: At 740L, The Wild Robot falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.
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About this book
A robot named Roz wakes up alone on a wild island and must learn to survive among its animal inhabitants — eventually adopting an orphaned gosling and becoming part of the wilderness she was never built for. Peter Brown's gentle, illustrated novel about nature, technology, and what it means to be a parent is a grades 4-6 favorite (and now a film).
Why widely assigned
This Middle Grade Fiction title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 4–6. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on nature and survival; cited across 5 curriculum frameworks.
Content notes
peril · animal death
Where this book is assigned
Garden State Children's Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·5th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·6th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
Hawai'i Nēnē Award
- recommended·4th grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
- recommended·5th grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
- recommended·6th grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai'i Association of School Librarians — Nēnē Award, grades 4-6 fiction (student-choice; program since 1964); winners 1982-2026 (neneaward.org + Goodreads winner roll)
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award
- 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)
Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania)
- recommended·4th grade · Pennsylvaniasource: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA official winners list (K-12 divisions), winners cross-verified via Goodreads award index
- recommended·5th grade · Pennsylvaniasource: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA official winners list (K-12 divisions), winners cross-verified via Goodreads award index
- recommended·6th grade · Pennsylvaniasource: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA official winners list (K-12 divisions), winners cross-verified via Goodreads award index
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA)
- recommended·4th grade · Oregonsource: Oregon Library Association — Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) winners by division (statewide young readers' choice program; students vote)
- recommended·5th grade · Oregonsource: Oregon Library Association — Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) winners by division (statewide young readers' choice program; students vote)
- recommended·6th grade · Oregonsource: Oregon Library Association — Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) winners by division (statewide young readers' choice program; students vote)
Similar grade-level books
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
Charlotte's WebE.B. White · 680L
The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins · 810L
MatildaRoald Dahl · 840L
See all books like The Wild Robot→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is The Wild Robot?
- The Wild Robot is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–6, with a Lexile measure of 740L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of The Wild Robot?
- The Wild Robot has a Lexile measure of 740L 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 The Wild Robot?
- It takes about 5h 15m to read The Wild Robot (288 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 315 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is The Wild Robot hard to read for 4th grade?
- At 740L, The Wild Robot falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th 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 The Wild Robot?
- The Wild Robot appears on reading lists for Garden State Children's Book Award, Hawai'i Nēnē Award, Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, and 2 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
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
- 740L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 4–6 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 5 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 5 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.