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Cover of Skeleton Key

Skeleton Key

by Anthony Horowitz

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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:Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards

Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz is assigned in US schools at grades 3–5. 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 Skeleton Key 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 3–5
Age range
Ages 8–10
Pages
327
Reading time
about 6 hours (est.)
First published
1999
Genre
Graphic Novel
ISBN-13
9780439662178

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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Similar grade-level books

See all books like Skeleton Key→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Graphic Novel title, typically at grades 3–5. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on mystery and spies in fiction; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

mystery · spies in fiction · terrorism in fiction · terrorism

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is Skeleton Key?
Skeleton Key is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–5. It appears on 1 school reading list across 1 state. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Skeleton Key?
It takes about 6 hours to read Skeleton Key (327 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 360 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Skeleton Key?
Skeleton Key appears on reading lists for Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Skeleton Key banned in schools?
Skeleton Key has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 1 state (TX) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
What themes does Skeleton Key explore?
Central themes in Skeleton Key include mystery, spies in fiction, terrorism in fiction, terrorism.

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 3–5 — 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
Documented as challenged or removed in 1 state per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club.

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