
Deep and Dark and Dangerous
by Mary Downing Hahn · Grades 4–6
Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn is on US reading lists at grades 4–6. It appears on 7 lists: 7 book-award lists, across 7 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 4–6. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780547076454). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Among the most widely assigned — 8 curriculum lists · 7 states
#65 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 6 states (2026-07-13 study of 13,258 assignments).
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 Deep and Dark and Dangerous 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 4–6
- First published
- 2008
- ISBN-13
- 9780547076454
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?
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New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
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About this book
Book facts and sources (7)
- Awards won
- On award reading lists
- Rhode Island Children's Book Award (source: olis.ri.gov)
- Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (source: Wikipedia)
- Land of Enchantment Book Award (source: nmstatelibrary.org)
- Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award (source: azla.org)
and 1 more in where it is taught
- Catalog record
- First published 2008 (source: how we source book data)
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Where this book is recommended
Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award
- recommended·4th grade · Arizonasource: Arizona Library Association — Grand Canyon Reader Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Tween divisions; annual since 1977)
- recommended·5th grade · Arizonasource: Arizona Library Association — Grand Canyon Reader Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Tween divisions; annual since 1977)
- recommended·6th grade · Arizonasource: Arizona Library Association — Grand Canyon Reader Award (student-choice; Intermediate + Tween divisions; annual since 1977)
Land of Enchantment Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · New Mexicosource: New Mexico State Library — Land of Enchantment Book Award winner/nominee lists (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1981)
- recommended·5th grade · New Mexicosource: New Mexico State Library — Land of Enchantment Book Award winner/nominee lists (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1981)
- recommended·6th grade · New Mexicosource: New Mexico State Library — Land of Enchantment Book Award winner/nominee lists (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1981)
Mark Twain Readers Award
- recommended·4th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) — Mark Twain Readers Award: Missouri's statewide grades 4-6 children's-choice program (students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1972-2025 per the Mark Twain Award record.
- recommended·5th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) — Mark Twain Readers Award: Missouri's statewide grades 4-6 children's-choice program (students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1972-2025 per the Mark Twain Award record.
- recommended·6th grade · Missourisource: Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) — Mark Twain Readers Award: Missouri's statewide grades 4-6 children's-choice program (students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1972-2025 per the Mark Twain Award record.
Mark Twain Readers Award
- recommended·4th grade · Missourisource: Mark Twain Readers Award winners (Missouri Association of School Librarians), via Wikipedia — 2010
- recommended·5th grade · Missourisource: Mark Twain Readers Award winners (Missouri Association of School Librarians), via Wikipedia — 2010
- recommended·6th grade · Missourisource: Mark Twain Readers Award winners (Missouri Association of School Librarians), via Wikipedia — 2010
Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Minnesotasource: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award winners (Minnesota Youth Reading Awards / MYRA), via Goodreads award record — 2011
- recommended·4th grade · Minnesotasource: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award winners (Minnesota Youth Reading Awards / MYRA), via Goodreads award record — 2011
- recommended·5th grade · Minnesotasource: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award winners (Minnesota Youth Reading Awards / MYRA), via Goodreads award record — 2011
- recommended·6th grade · Minnesotasource: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award winners (Minnesota Youth Reading Awards / MYRA), via Goodreads award record — 2011
- recommended·7th grade · Minnesotasource: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award winners (Minnesota Youth Reading Awards / MYRA), via Goodreads award record — 2011
- recommended·8th grade · Minnesotasource: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award winners (Minnesota Youth Reading Awards / MYRA), via Goodreads award record — 2011
Nebraska Golden Sower Award
- recommended·4th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
- recommended·5th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
- recommended·6th grade · Nebraskasource: Nebraska Library Association — Golden Sower Award (student-choice; Honeybee grades 3-5 + Meadowlark grades 6-9; annual since 1981)
Show 2 more awards & assignmentsShow fewer
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 — 2009 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 — 2009 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 — 2009 winner
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Wyomingsource: Wyoming Library Association — Indian Paintbrush Book Award, grades 4-6 (student-choice; annual since 1986); winner roll 1986-2024
- recommended·5th grade · Wyomingsource: Wyoming Library Association — Indian Paintbrush Book Award, grades 4-6 (student-choice; annual since 1986); winner roll 1986-2024
- recommended·6th grade · Wyomingsource: Wyoming Library Association — Indian Paintbrush Book Award, grades 4-6 (student-choice; annual since 1986); winner roll 1986-2024
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Common questions
- What grade level is Deep and Dark and Dangerous?
- Deep and Dark and Dangerous is listed for grades 4–6. It appears on 8 state book-award lists across 7 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- What curricula assign Deep and Dark and Dangerous?
- Deep and Dark and Dangerous appears on reading lists for Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award, Land of Enchantment Book Award, Mark Twain Readers Award, and 4 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Deep and Dark and Dangerous banned in schools?
- Deep and Dark and Dangerous 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.
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 4–6 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 8 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 7 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.