What books are similar to Curveball?

The 10 closest matches to Curveball by Pablo Cartaya on ReadingList include Punycorn, Swim Team, Growing Home, Hoops, and Misfit Mansion. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, perseverance, 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 Curveball 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 Curveball

If you liked Curveball, read Punycorn, Swim Team, or Growing Home — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Punycorn by Andi Watson — shares perseverance

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Looking for books like Curveball by Pablo Cartaya (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, perseverance, 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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Punycorngrades 3–5: Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Swim Teamgrades 3–7: Shares themes of friendship and perseverance, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Growing Homegrades 3–5: Shares themes of friendship, perseverance, and family, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Hoopsgrades 3–5: Shares themes of perseverance, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Misfit Mansiongrades 3–5: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
The Girl Who Figured It Outgrades 3–6: Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The House at the Edge of Magicgrades 3–5: Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of friendship and perseverance, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knightgrades 3–6: Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Four Eyes: A Graphic Novelgrades 3–7: Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Curveball for younger readers (K–2)

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

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–5).
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).
Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Shares themes of perseverance.
Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius by Lynne Cox · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of perseverance and overlapping grades (2–5).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Curveball for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–5).
Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliott · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of perseverance and family and overlapping grades (3–5).
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–6).
Dog Trouble: A Graphic Novel by Kristin Varner · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s).
Lumberjackula by Mat Heagerty · grades 4–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s).

Books like Curveball for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Global by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of perseverance and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).
Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Fournet · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of perseverance and family and both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list.
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of perseverance and family and both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list.
Control Freaks by J.E. Thomas · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and perseverance and both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list.
Skyriders by Polly Holyoke · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and perseverance and both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list.

Books like Curveball for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Rise by Freya Finch · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
The Beasts in Your Brain by Katherine Speller · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
The Dark Becomes Her by Judy I. Lin · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mississippi Magnolia Book Award list and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Curveball?: The 10 closest matches to Curveball by Pablo Cartaya on ReadingList include Punycorn, Swim Team, Growing Home, Hoops, and Misfit Mansion. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, perseverance, 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 Curveball 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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