Cover of The Secret of Platform 13

The Secret of Platform 13

by Eva Ibbotson

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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:Virginia Readers' Choice

The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson is assigned in US schools at grades 3–5. 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 Secret of Platform 13 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 3–5
Age range
Ages 8–10
Pages
231
Reading time
about 4h 15m (est.)
First published
1994
Genre
Fantasy
ISBN-13
9780525459293

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

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About this book

Odge Gribble, a young hag, joins an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre on a journey from their magical island kingdom to London through a tunnel which opens every nine years for nine days, to try and rescue the young prince who had been stolen as an infant nine years before.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like The Secret of Platform 13→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Fantasy title, typically at grades 3–5. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on quests (expeditions) and fairy tales; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Themes

quests (expeditions) · fairy tales · wizards · imaginary places

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is The Secret of Platform 13?
The Secret of Platform 13 is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–5. 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 Secret of Platform 13?
It takes about 4h 15m to read The Secret of Platform 13 (231 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 255 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The Secret of Platform 13?
The Secret of Platform 13 appears on reading lists for Virginia Readers' Choice. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The Secret of Platform 13 banned in schools?
The Secret of Platform 13 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 Secret of Platform 13 explore?
Central themes in The Secret of Platform 13 include quests (expeditions), fairy tales, wizards, imaginary places. 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 3–5 — 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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