Books like A Gathering of Days
If you liked A Gathering of Days, read Bridge to Terabithia, Julie of the Wolves, or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Closest match: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
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Looking for books like A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos (Children and death · grades 3–7)? 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 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to A Gathering of Days
Bridge to TerabithiaKatherine Paterson · 810L
Julie of the WolvesJean Craighead George
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMHRobert C. O'Brien · 790L
The Grey KingSusan Cooper
The Slave DancerPaula Fox
The Summer of the SwansBetsy Byars
The Westing GameEllen Raskin · 750L
A Wrinkle in TimeMadeleine L'Engle · 740L
A Year Down YonderRichard Peck
Adam of the RoadElizabeth Gray Vining
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Why each is a match
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- Bridge to Terabithia810L
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
- Julie of the Wolvesgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Grey Kinggrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Slave Dancergrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Summer of the Swansgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Westing Game750L
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (5–7), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
- A Wrinkle in Time740L
- Both on the Newbery Medal list and overlapping grades (5–7). Amazon → books like this →
- A Year Down Yondergrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
- Adam of the Roadgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Common questions
- What books are similar to A Gathering of Days?
- The 10 closest matches to A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos on ReadingList include Bridge to Terabithia, Julie of the Wolves, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, The Grey King, and The Slave Dancer. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like A Gathering of Days reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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.