Cover of Dragon Rider

Dragon Rider

by Cornelia Funke

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:Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke is assigned in US schools at grades 3–8. 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 Dragon Rider 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
536
Reading time
about 9h 50m (est.)
First published
2004
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9780439685139

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, is joined by a brownie and an orphan boy in a quest to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven, encountering friendly and unfriendly creatures along the way, and struggling to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Dragon Rider→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 3–8. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on animals, mythical; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

animals, mythical

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Dragon Rider?
Dragon Rider 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 Dragon Rider?
It takes about 9h 50m to read Dragon Rider (536 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 590 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Dragon Rider?
Dragon Rider appears on reading lists for Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Dragon Rider banned in schools?
Dragon Rider 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 Dragon Rider explore?
Central themes in Dragon Rider include animals, mythical. 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 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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