Cover of Terror at the Zoo

Terror at the Zoo

by Peg Kehret

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).

On reading-award lists:Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA)

Terror at the Zoo by Peg Kehret is assigned in US schools at grades 3–6. 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 Terror at the Zoo 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 3–6
Age range
Ages 8–11
Pages
131
Reading time
about 2h 25m (est.)
First published
1992
Genre
Mystery
ISBN-13
9780786245116

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

Twelve-year-old Ellen and her younger brother Corey are excited about their overnight camp-out at the zoo, until they discover that they are locked inside with a desperate escaped convict.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Terror at the Zoo→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Mystery title, typically at grades 3–6. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on zoos in fiction and zoos; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

zoos in fiction · zoos · mystery and detective stories · detective and mystery stories

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Terror at the Zoo?
Terror at the Zoo 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 Terror at the Zoo?
It takes about 2h 25m to read Terror at the Zoo (131 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 145 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Terror at the Zoo?
Terror at the Zoo appears on reading lists for Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Terror at the Zoo banned in schools?
Terror at the Zoo 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 Terror at the Zoo explore?
Central themes in Terror at the Zoo include zoos in fiction, zoos, mystery and detective stories, detective and mystery stories. 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 3–6 — 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.

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