
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job
by Willo Davis Roberts · Grades 3–8 · Realistic Fiction
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts is on US reading lists at grades 3–8. It appears on 4 lists: 4 book-award lists, across 4 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 8–13 · Grades 3–8 · 161 pages. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9780689806575). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
Listen free on Audiblestarts instantlyPrefer an independent bookstore? Buy it on Bookshop.org →
Audible trial: new members only. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. ReadingList also earns a commission from Bookshop.org purchases, which supports independent bookstores.
Widely assigned — 4 curriculum lists · 4 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).
This page shows where Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades 3–8
- Age range
- Ages 8–13
- Pages
- 161
- Reading time
- about 2h 55m (est.)
- First published
- 1985
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780689806575
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 3?
If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. Pricing, Prime, and trial terms shown on Amazon.
More like this
Same grade band, chosen by theme and by how many reading lists carry them. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Zach's LieRoland SmithAlso about kidnapping · on 3 reading lists
Grades 3–8 · 246 pages
Check price on Amazon →
HostageWillo Davis RobertsAlso about kidnapping · on 1 reading list
Grades 3–8 · 140 pages
Check price on Amazon →
Skeleton ManJoseph BruchacAlso about kidnapping · on 6 reading lists
Grades 3–8 · 114 pages
Check price on Amazon →
DogtownKatherine Applegate & Gennifer CholdenkoAlso Realistic Fiction · on 6 reading lists
Grades 3–6
Check price on Amazon →
FerrisKate DiCamilloAlso Realistic Fiction · on 5 reading lists
Grades 3–6
Check price on Amazon →
No TalkingAndrew ClementsAlso Realistic Fiction · on 5 reading lists
Grades 3–8 · 160 pages
Check price on Amazon →
The PinballsBetsy Cromer ByarsAlso Realistic Fiction · on 5 reading lists
Grades 4–6 · 137 pages
Check price on Amazon →
Dear Mr. HenshawBeverly ClearyAlso Realistic Fiction · on 4 reading lists
Grades 4–6 · 142 pages
Check price on Amazon →
UngiftedGordon KormanAlso Realistic Fiction · on 4 reading lists
Grades 5–8
Check price on Amazon →
FudgeCharlotte Towner GraeberAlso Realistic Fiction · on 3 reading lists
Grades 4–6 · 123 pages
Check price on Amazon →
GhostsRaina TelgemeierAlso Realistic Fiction · on 3 reading lists
Grades 3–6 · 258 pages
Check price on Amazon →
Jelly BellyRobert Kimmel SmithAlso Realistic Fiction · on 3 reading lists
Grades 4–6 · 155 pages
Check price on Amazon →
About this book
Book facts and sources (4)
- On award reading lists
- South Carolina Children's Book Award (source: scasl.net)
- Nevada Young Readers' Award (source: librarything.com)
- Young Hoosier Book Award (source: cdn.ymaws.com)
- Mark Twain Readers Award (source: Wikipedia)
- Catalog record
- First published 1985 · 161 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This realistic fiction title is typically read at grades 3–8. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on babysitters and kidnapping; cited on 4 lists: 4 book-award lists.
Themes
babysitters · kidnapping · babysitters, fiction
Where this book is recommended
Mark Twain Readers Award
- recommended·4th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award (Missouri Association of School Librarians) — winner list 1972-2025 via Wikipedia — 1988 Mark Twain Award winner
- recommended·5th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award (Missouri Association of School Librarians) — winner list 1972-2025 via Wikipedia — 1988 Mark Twain Award winner
- recommended·6th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award (Missouri Association of School Librarians) — winner list 1972-2025 via Wikipedia — 1988 Mark Twain Award winner
Nevada Young Readers' Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·4th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·7th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·8th grade · Nevadasource: Nevada Young Readers' Award — Nevada's statewide children's-choice reading program: students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
South Carolina Children's Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 1988 winner
- recommended·4th grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 1988 winner
- recommended·5th grade · South Carolinasource: South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) — South Carolina Children's Book Award official past winners list (linked from scasl.net) — 1988 winner
Young Hoosier Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Indianasource: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award past winners, 1988 winner (Intermediate)
- recommended·5th grade · Indianasource: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award past winners, 1988 winner (Intermediate)
- recommended·6th grade · Indianasource: Indiana Library Federation — Young Hoosier Book Award past winners, 1988 winner (Intermediate)
Did you find what you were looking for?
Thank you. We read every answer and use it to improve this site.
Common questions
- What grade level is Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job?
- Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job is listed for grades 3–8. It appears on 4 state book-award lists across 4 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job?
- It takes about 2h 55m to read Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job (161 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 175 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job?
- Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job appears on reading lists for Mark Twain Readers Award, Nevada Young Readers' Award, South Carolina Children's Book Award, and 1 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job banned in schools?
- Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job 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. See the banned books list by state.
- What themes does Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job explore?
- Central themes in Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job include babysitters, kidnapping, babysitters, fiction.
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 3–8 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 4 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 4 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.