In a Dark, Dark Room
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Assigned across 1 curriculum list · 1 state
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz is assigned in US schools at grades k–3. It appears across 1 curriculum reference 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 In a Dark, Dark Room 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 K–3
- Age range
- Ages 5–8
- Pages
- 64
- Reading time
- about 1h 10m (est.)
- First published
- 1984
- Genre
- Mystery
- ISBN-13
- 9780590450287
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
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See all books like In a Dark, Dark Room→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Mystery title, typically at grades k–3. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on horror tales and folklore; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
horror tales · folklore · horror stories · tales
Where this book is assigned
Virginia Readers' Choice
- recommended·Kindergarten grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 1987-1988 winner (Primary)
- recommended·1st grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 1987-1988 winner (Primary)
- recommended·2nd grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 1987-1988 winner (Primary)
- recommended·3rd grade · Virginiasource: Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 1987-1988 winner (Primary)
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Common questions
- What grade level is In a Dark, Dark Room?
- In a Dark, Dark Room is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades K–3. It appears on 1 school reading list across 1 state. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read In a Dark, Dark Room?
- It takes about 1h 10m to read In a Dark, Dark Room (64 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 70 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign In a Dark, Dark Room?
- In a Dark, Dark Room appears on reading lists for Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is In a Dark, Dark Room banned in schools?
- In a Dark, Dark Room 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 In a Dark, Dark Room explore?
- Central themes in In a Dark, Dark Room include horror tales, folklore, horror stories, tales.
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
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades K–3 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum 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: book-club.