What books are similar to Dairy Queen?

The 10 closest matches to Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock on ReadingList include My Sister's Keeper, Perfect Chemistry, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Check & Mate, and Everything, Everything. Each is scored on shared themes (football, farm life, and football stories), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Dairy Queen reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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 Dairy Queen

If you liked Dairy Queen, read My Sister's Keeper, Perfect Chemistry, or The Second Summer of the Sisterhood — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

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Looking for books like Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of football, farm life, and football stories. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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My Sister's Keepergrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Perfect Chemistrygrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Second Summer of the Sisterhoodgrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Check & Mategrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Everything, Everythinggrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
I Must Betray Yougrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Patron Saints of Nothinggrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Sun is Also a Stargrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Those Who Wish Me Deadgrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Twilightgrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Dairy Queen for younger readers (K–2)

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

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard · grades K–3 — Shares themes of football and football stories and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen · grades K–3 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of football.
Humpty-Dumpty Egg-Splodes by O'Malley, Kevin · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Dairy Queen for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard · grades K–3 — Shares themes of football and football stories and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Dobry by Monica Shannon · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
El Chupacabras by Adam Rubin · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen · grades K–3 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Wild Wings by Gill Lewis · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Dairy Queen for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Dobry by Monica Shannon · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
El Chupacabras by Adam Rubin · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Root Cellar by Janet Lunn · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Wild Wings by Gill Lewis · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of farm life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Dairy Queen?: The 10 closest matches to Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock on ReadingList include My Sister's Keeper, Perfect Chemistry, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Check & Mate, and Everything, Everything. Each is scored on shared themes (football, farm life, and football stories), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Dairy Queen reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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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