What books are similar to Fish in a Tree?

The 10 closest matches to Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt on ReadingList include The War That Saved My Life, Out of My Mind, Wonder, Restart, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, friendship, and school), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Fish in a Tree reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Fish in a Tree

If you liked Fish in a Tree, read The War That Saved My Life, Out of My Mind, or Wonder — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley — shares disability and resilience

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Looking for books like Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Middle Grade Fiction · 550L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of disability, friendship, and school. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of disability and resilience, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (580L vs 550L). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship and bullying, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Restart730L: Shares themes of bullying, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of friendship and school, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Frindle830L: Shares themes of school, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
El Deafo420L: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (420L vs 550L). Amazon → books like this →
Hello, Universe690L: Shares themes of friendship and bullying, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 550L). Amazon → books like this →
Pax760L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Season of Styx Malone510L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Fish in a Tree for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and school, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of bullying, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 550L).
You're So Amazing! by James Catchpole · grades K–2 — Shares themes of disability and friendship.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like Fish in a Tree for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Shares themes of friendship and school, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and a close reading level (500L vs 550L).
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Shares themes of resilience, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (640L vs 550L).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Fish in a Tree for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Shares themes of friendship and school, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and a close reading level (500L vs 550L).
Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Shares themes of resilience, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (640L vs 550L).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate · 590L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (590L vs 550L).

Books like Fish in a Tree for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck · 630L — Shares themes of disability and friendship and a close reading level (630L vs 550L).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, a close reading level (590L vs 550L), and the same era (2010s).
The Color Purple by Alice Walker · 670L — Shares themes of resilience and a close reading level (670L vs 550L).
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck · 680L — Shares themes of resilience and a close reading level (680L vs 550L).
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes · 910L — Shares themes of disability and friendship.

Common questions

What books are similar to Fish in a Tree?: The 10 closest matches to Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt on ReadingList include The War That Saved My Life, Out of My Mind, Wonder, Restart, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, friendship, and school), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Fish in a Tree reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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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