What books are similar to A Long Walk to Water?

The 10 closest matches to A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park on ReadingList include Echo, Allies, Pax, A Single Shard, and Refugee. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, perseverance, and war), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like A Long Walk to Water reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Long Walk to Water

If you liked A Long Walk to Water, read Echo, Allies, or Pax — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan — shares war

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Looking for books like A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (Historical Fiction · 720L · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of survival, perseverance, and war. 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Echo680L: Shares themes of war, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (680L vs 720L). Amazon → books like this →
Alliesgrades 5–9: Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Pax760L: Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (760L vs 720L). Amazon → books like this →
A Single Shard920L: Is by Linda Sue Park, the same author, shares themes of perseverance, and a close reading level (920L vs 720L). Amazon → books like this →
Refugee800L: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (800L vs 720L). Amazon → books like this →
Salt to the Sea560L: Shares themes of survival, war, and hope, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 720L). Amazon → books like this →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (580L vs 720L). Amazon → books like this →
Where the Red Fern Grows700L: Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (700L vs 720L). Amazon → books like this →
Dragonwings870L: Shares themes of perseverance, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (870L vs 720L). Amazon → books like this →
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybegrades 4–7: Shares themes of survival and perseverance and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like A Long Walk to Water for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Same genre (Historical Fiction), a close reading level (750L vs 720L), and the same era (2010s).
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of hope, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of perseverance, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (950L vs 720L).
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like A Long Walk to Water for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Same genre (Historical Fiction), a close reading level (750L vs 720L), and the same era (2010s).
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of hope, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of perseverance, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (950L vs 720L).
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like A Long Walk to Water for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque · 830L — Shares themes of war and a close reading level (830L vs 720L).
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin · 920L — Shares themes of war and a close reading level (920L vs 720L).
All We Have Left by Wendy Mills · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to A Long Walk to Water?: The 10 closest matches to A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park on ReadingList include Echo, Allies, Pax, A Single Shard, and Refugee. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, perseverance, and war), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like A Long Walk to Water reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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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