Cover of The Dark-Thirty

The Dark-Thirty

by Patricia McKissack

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

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:Coretta Scott King Author Award

The Dark-Thirty by Patricia McKissack is assigned in US schools at grades 4–8. It appears across 1 curriculum reference, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where The Dark-Thirty 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
Pages
180
Reading time
about 3h 20m (est.)
First published
1992
Genre
Juvenile Fiction
ISBN-13
9780679818632

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade · What is the Coretta Scott King Award?

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.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like The Dark-Thirty→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Juvenile Fiction title, typically at grades 4–8. Written in the 1990s; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

Was this page helpful?

Common questions

What grade level is The Dark-Thirty?
The Dark-Thirty 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 The Dark-Thirty?
It takes about 3h 20m to read The Dark-Thirty (180 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 200 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Dark-Thirty?
The Dark-Thirty appears on reading lists for Coretta Scott King Author Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Dark-Thirty banned in schools?
The Dark-Thirty 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 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
Not yet documented in a state-level framework on this site.
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner.

Keep browsing