What books are similar to Counting by 7s?

The 10 closest matches to Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan on ReadingList include Front Desk, Ghost Boys, El Deafo, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, and The One and Only Ivan. Each is scored on shared themes (realistic, autistic children, and genius), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Counting by 7s reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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 Counting by 7s

If you liked Counting by 7s, read Front Desk, Ghost Boys, or El Deafo — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

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Looking for books like Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan (Realistic Fiction · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of realistic, autistic children, and genius. 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 2–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Front Desk640L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost Boys360L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
El Deafo420L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Librarygrades 4–6: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The One and Only Ivan570L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Wild Robot740L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
When You Reach Me750L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Crossover750L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Counting by 7s for younger readers (K–2)

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

Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Counting by 7s for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger · grades 4–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Pie by Sarah Weeks · grades 3–8 — Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Counting by 7s for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger · grades 4–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Pie by Sarah Weeks · grades 3–8 — Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Counting by 7s for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list and the same era (2010s).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Counting by 7s?: The 10 closest matches to Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan on ReadingList include Front Desk, Ghost Boys, El Deafo, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, and The One and Only Ivan. Each is scored on shared themes (realistic, autistic children, and genius), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Counting by 7s reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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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