What books are similar to A Boy Called Bat?

The 10 closest matches to A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold on ReadingList include Shiloh, The Trumpet of the Swan, Because of Mr. Terupt, Ban This Book, and Out of My Mind. Each is scored on shared themes (neurodiversity, animals, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like A Boy Called Bat reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like A Boy Called Bat

If you liked A Boy Called Bat, read Shiloh, The Trumpet of the Swan, or Because of Mr. Terupt — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor — shares family

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Looking for books like A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of neurodiversity, animals, and family. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Shiloh890L: Shares themes of family, both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Trumpet of the Swangrades 3–6: Shares themes of animals and family, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Mr. Teruptgrades 3–5: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Ban This Bookgrades 3–6: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of family, both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Picture Purrfect (Bodega Cats #1)grades 2–5: Shares themes of animals and family and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
The One and Only Rubygrades 2–5: Shares themes of animals and family and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The City of Embergrades 4–6: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Roller Girl440L: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like A Boy Called Bat for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman · grades K–1 — Shares themes of animals and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Don't Need Friends by Carolyn Crimi · grades K–2 — Shares themes of animals and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire · grades K–1 — Shares themes of animals and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins · grades K–0 — Shares themes of animals.

Books like A Boy Called Bat for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of animals and overlapping grades (3–5).
Cliff-Hanger by Alane Ferguson · grades 4–6 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin · grades 4–6 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) by Lynn Plourde · grades 3–5 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Sisters by Raina Telgemeier · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like A Boy Called Bat for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel · grades 6–8 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Cliff-Hanger by Alane Ferguson · grades 4–6 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin · grades 4–6 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like A Boy Called Bat for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list).
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to A Boy Called Bat?: The 10 closest matches to A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold on ReadingList include Shiloh, The Trumpet of the Swan, Because of Mr. Terupt, Ban This Book, and Out of My Mind. Each is scored on shared themes (neurodiversity, animals, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like A Boy Called Bat reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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