
The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper
by Jean Van Leeuwen
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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).
The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper by Jean Van Leeuwen 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 The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper 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
- 133
- Reading time
- about 2h 25m (est.)
- First published
- 1975
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780590056373
New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
More formats & details
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See all books like The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 4–8. Written in the 1970s; pairs with curriculum units on mice and mice in fiction; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
mice · mice in fiction · christmas · christmas in fiction
Where this book is assigned
William Allen White Children's Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — 1978 winner (4-8)
- recommended·5th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — 1978 winner (4-8)
- recommended·6th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — 1978 winner (4-8)
- recommended·7th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — 1978 winner (4-8)
- recommended·8th grade · Kansassource: William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — 1978 winner (4-8)
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Common questions
- What grade level is The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper?
- The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper 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 Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper?
- It takes about 2h 25m to read The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper (133 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 145 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper?
- The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper appears on reading lists for William Allen White Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper banned in schools?
- The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper 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 The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper explore?
- Central themes in The Great Christmas Kidnaping Caper include mice, mice in fiction, christmas, christmas in 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 classifyHide
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.