Cover of The Fire Eaters

The Fire Eaters

by David Almond · Grades 4–9 · Children's

The Fire Eaters by David Almond is on US reading lists at grades 4–9. It appears on 1 list: the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Grades 4–9 · 158 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781444921083). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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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:Boston Globe–Horn Book Award

This page shows where The Fire Eaters 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 4–9
Pages
158
Reading time
about 2h 55m (est.)
First published
2003
Genre
Children's
ISBN-13
9781444921083

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-19; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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Why it is assigned

This children's title is typically read at grades 4–9. Written in the 2000s; cited on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award.

Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is The Fire Eaters?
The Fire Eaters is listed for grades 4–9. It appears on 1 book-award list. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read The Fire Eaters?
It takes about 2h 55m to read The Fire Eaters (158 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 175 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Fire Eaters?
The Fire Eaters appears on reading lists for Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Fire Eaters banned in schools?
The Fire Eaters 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 4–9 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where recommended” 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: read-aloud.

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