Cover of The Houdini Box

The Houdini Box

by Brian Selznick

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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:Texas Bluebonnet Award

The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick is assigned in US schools at grades 3–6. 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 Houdini Box 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 3–6
Age range
Ages 8–11
Pages
60
Reading time
about 1h 5m (est.)
First published
1991
Genre
Fantasy
ISBN-13
9780679854487

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

Open this book and come face-to-face with the greatest magician of all time: Harry Houdini! Victor is forever trying to escape from locked trunks, to walk through walls, and to perform any number of Houdini's astonishing magic tricks...without success. Then -- amazingly -- he meets his idol and begs Houdini to explain himself.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like The Houdini Box→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Fantasy title, typically at grades 3–6. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on magicians and magicians, fiction; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

magicians · magicians, fiction · escape (psychology) · conduct of life

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is The Houdini Box?
The Houdini Box is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–6. 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 Houdini Box?
It takes about 1h 5m to read The Houdini Box (60 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 65 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Houdini Box?
The Houdini Box appears on reading lists for Texas Bluebonnet Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Houdini Box banned in schools?
The Houdini Box 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 Houdini Box explore?
Central themes in The Houdini Box include magicians, magicians, fiction, escape (psychology), conduct of life. 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 3–6 — 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.

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