What books are similar to Bea and the New Deal Horse?

The 10 closest matches to Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliott on ReadingList include Hoops, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Dogtown, Punycorn, and Swim Team. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, family, and perseverance), 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 Bea and the New Deal Horse 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 Bea and the New Deal Horse

If you liked Bea and the New Deal Horse, read Hoops, Sarah, Plain and Tall, or Dogtown — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Hoops by Matt Tavares — shares courage and perseverance

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Looking for books like Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliott (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of courage, family, and perseverance. 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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Hoopsgrades 3–5: Shares themes of courage and perseverance, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Sarah, Plain and Tall660L: Shares themes of family, both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
Dogtowngrades 3–6: Shares themes of courage and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Punycorngrades 3–5: Shares themes of courage and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Swim Teamgrades 3–7: Shares themes of courage and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The House at the Edge of Magicgrades 3–5: Shares themes of courage and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Trumpet of the Swangrades 3–6: Shares themes of courage, family, and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Curveballgrades 3–5: Shares themes of family and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Growing Homegrades 3–5: Shares themes of family and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of courage and family, same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Bea and the New Deal Horse for younger readers (K–2)

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

Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Shares themes of courage and perseverance and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of perseverance and overlapping grades (2–5).
Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius by Lynne Cox · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of perseverance and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Bea and the New Deal Horse for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of perseverance and overlapping grades (2–5).
The Girl Who Figured It Out by Minda Dentler · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of perseverance and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey by Chad Soon & Amy Maranville · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of perseverance and overlapping grades (3–7).
Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius by Lynne Cox · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of perseverance and overlapping grades (2–5).
Because of You, John Lewis by Andrea Davis Pinkney · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (3–5).

Books like Bea and the New Deal Horse for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of family and perseverance and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)).
Global by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of courage and perseverance and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Fournet · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of courage, family, and perseverance.
Heroes by Alan Gratz · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of courage and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)).
Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of family and perseverance and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.

Books like Bea and the New Deal Horse for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of courage and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of courage and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
African Town by Irene Latham · grades 7–12 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list and the same era (2020s).
The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Bea and the New Deal Horse?: The 10 closest matches to Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliott on ReadingList include Hoops, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Dogtown, Punycorn, and Swim Team. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, family, and perseverance), 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 Bea and the New Deal Horse 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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