Cover of The Penultimate Peril

The Penultimate Peril

by Lemony Snicket · Grades 4–7

The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket is on US reading lists at grades 4–7. It appears on 1 list: the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Ages 9–13 · Grades 4–7 · 353 pages. The button opens the hardcover edition (ISBN 9780064410151). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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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:Wisconsin Golden Archer Award

This page shows where The Penultimate Peril 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 4–7
Age range
Ages 9–13
Pages
353
Reading time
about 6h 30m (est.)
ISBN-13
9780064410151

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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About this book

Book facts and sources (2)
On award reading lists
Series
  • Book 12 of 13 in A Series of Unfortunate Events (publication order) (source: Series book lists + publication order verified against publisher catalogs / Wikipedia. Checked 2026-06-29.)
Catalog record
353 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Part of a series — read in order

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See all books like The Penultimate Peril→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is The Penultimate Peril?
The Penultimate Peril is listed for grades 4–7. It appears on 1 state book-award list across 1 state. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read The Penultimate Peril?
It takes about 6h 30m to read The Penultimate Peril (353 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 390 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Penultimate Peril?
The Penultimate Peril appears on reading lists for Wisconsin Golden Archer Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Penultimate Peril banned in schools?
The Penultimate Peril 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. See the banned books list by state.

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 4–7 — drawn from the state 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
On state book-award lists in 1 state (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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