Cover of Skeleton Man

Skeleton Man

by Joseph Bruchac

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:Charlie May Simon Children's Book AwardGrand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award

Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac is assigned in US schools at grades 3–8. 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 Skeleton Man is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

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Grade range
Grades 3–8
Age range
Ages 8–13
Pages
114
Reading time
about 2h 5m (est.)
First published
2001
Genre
Mystery
ISBN-13
9780439439619

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

Ever since the morning Molly woke up to find that her parents hadvanished, her life has become filled with terrible questions. Where have her parents gone? Who is this spooky old man who's taken her to live with him, claiming to be her great-uncle? Why does he never eat, and why does he lock her in her room at night? What are her dreams of the Skeleton Man trying to tell her? There's one thing Molly does know. She needs to find some answers before it's too late.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Skeleton Man→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Mystery title, typically at grades 3–8. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on kidnapping and psychopaths; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

kidnapping · psychopaths · mohawk indians · indians of north america

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Skeleton Man?
Skeleton Man is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–8. 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 Skeleton Man?
It takes about 2h 5m to read Skeleton Man (114 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 125 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Skeleton Man?
Skeleton Man appears on reading lists for Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award, Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Skeleton Man banned in schools?
Skeleton Man 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 Skeleton Man explore?
Central themes in Skeleton Man include kidnapping, psychopaths, mohawk indians, indians of north america. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

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 3–8 — 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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