The Adventures of Captain Underpants

About this book

Two prank-loving fourth-graders, George and Harold, hypnotize their mean principal into believing he is a superhero — Captain Underpants — and chaos follows. Dav Pilkey's wildly popular illustrated series hooks reluctant readers in grades 2-5 with comics, Flip-O-Rama, and unapologetic silliness.

Part of a series — read in order

• Captain Underpants: all 12 books in order→

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See all books like The Adventures of Captain Underpants→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Middle Grade Fiction title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 2–5. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on friendship and humor; cited across 4 curriculum frameworks.

Where this book is assigned

• Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award

  • recommended·3rd grade · Ohiosource: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)
  • recommended·4th grade · Ohiosource: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)
  • recommended·5th grade · Ohiosource: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)

• Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania)

  • recommended·Kindergarten grade · Pennsylvaniasource: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA past winners list, 1999-2000 winner (K-3)
  • recommended·1st grade · Pennsylvaniasource: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA past winners list, 1999-2000 winner (K-3)
  • recommended·2nd grade · Pennsylvaniasource: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA past winners list, 1999-2000 winner (K-3)
  • recommended·3rd grade · Pennsylvaniasource: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA past winners list, 1999-2000 winner (K-3)

• Rhode Island Children's Book Award

  • recommended·3rd grade · Rhode Islandsource: Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) — Rhode Island Children's Book Award winners and nominees 1991-2025 — 1999 winner
  • recommended·4th grade · Rhode Islandsource: Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) — Rhode Island Children's Book Award winners and nominees 1991-2025 — 1999 winner
  • recommended·5th grade · Rhode Islandsource: Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) — Rhode Island Children's Book Award winners and nominees 1991-2025 — 1999 winner

• West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award

  • recommended·3rd grade · West Virginiasource: West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award — official winners list (West Virginia grades 3-6, voted annually since 1981; hosted by the West Virginia Center for the Book at the West Virginia Library Commission)
  • recommended·4th grade · West Virginiasource: West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award — official winners list (West Virginia grades 3-6, voted annually since 1981; hosted by the West Virginia Center for the Book at the West Virginia Library Commission)
  • recommended·5th grade · West Virginiasource: West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award — official winners list (West Virginia grades 3-6, voted annually since 1981; hosted by the West Virginia Center for the Book at the West Virginia Library Commission)

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by the numbers: pages, reading time and where it is listed, on Book Statistics.

Common questions

What grade level is The Adventures of Captain Underpants?

The Adventures of Captain Underpants is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 2–5, with a Lexile measure of 720L. It appears on 4 school reading lists across 4 states, from kindergarten to grade 5. Exact placement varies by school and district.

What is the Lexile level of The Adventures of Captain Underpants?

The Adventures of Captain Underpants has a Lexile measure of 720L 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 Adventures of Captain Underpants?

It takes about 2h 20m to read The Adventures of Captain Underpants (125 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 140 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.

Is The Adventures of Captain Underpants hard to read for 2nd grade?

At 720L, The Adventures of Captain Underpants falls within the typical 420–820L text-complexity range for 2nd 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 Adventures of Captain Underpants?

The Adventures of Captain Underpants appears on reading lists for Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award, Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania), Rhode Island Children's Book Award, and 1 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.