The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon
Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone loves maths, hates being touched and never tells lies. When he finds his neighbour's dog killed in the middle of the night, he decides to become a detective like Sherlock Holmes and find out who did it, even though his father tells him to stay out of it.
- Length
- About 62,000 words
- To read it
- About 42 days
- Stage
- Key Stage 3
Reading time at 1,500 words a day, the pace we start from until we know your child’s own.
Where it is taught
Why The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is on the list
- Year 8, Stretch. A step up in length or difficulty, for a confident reader. The play was an AQA GCSE text until 2024.
- Year 9, Core. The books most schools teach in this year. A good place to start. The play was an AQA GCSE text until 2024.
Reading it here
What your child does with it
- 1
Choose it and set a finish date
You get a suggested target from the length of the book and your child's reading pace.
- 2
Check in along the way
A longer book has short check-ins every week or two, so it keeps moving and nothing is forgotten.
- 3
Answer two questions
When they finish: a review of the book, and a deeper question about how it works.
- 4
Get it marked, and redraft
Every answer is marked against the rubric for their year, with a reason for every score.