Cover of Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library

Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library

by Eth Clifford

Audible trial: new members only. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

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:Young Hoosier Book Award

Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford is assigned in US schools at grades 4–8. 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 Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 4–8
Age range
Ages 9–13
Pages
96
Reading time
about 1h 45m (est.)
First published
1979
Genre
Adventure
ISBN-13
9780812435467

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.

About this book

Two girls spend an adventurous night trapped inside the public library during a terrible blizzard.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Adventure title, typically at grades 4–8. Written in the 1970s; pairs with curriculum units on libraries and blizzards; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

libraries · blizzards · adventure and adventurers, fiction · libraries, fiction

Where this book is assigned

Was this page helpful?

Common questions

What grade level is Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library?
Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–8. 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 Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library?
It takes about 1h 45m to read Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library (96 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 105 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library?
Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library appears on reading lists for Young Hoosier Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library banned in schools?
Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library 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 Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library explore?
Central themes in Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library include libraries, blizzards, adventure and adventurers, fiction, libraries, fiction. 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 4–8 — 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.

Keep browsing