Books like Heart of a Tiger

If you liked Heart of a Tiger, read Bad Kitty, Cat Secrets, or The Dog Who Had Kittens — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel — shares cats

Get it on Amazon →

Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Looking for books like Heart of a Tiger by Marsha Diane Arnold (Realistic Fiction · grades K–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of tigers, cats, and personal names. 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 K–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Heart of a Tiger

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Bad Kittygrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Cat Secretsgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Dog Who Had Kittensgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Titanicatgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Copycatgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
High-Wire Henrygrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
The Grannymangrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Chestergrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Widgetgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Skippyjon Jonesgrades K–3
Shares themes of cats and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Heart of a Tiger for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Socks by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of cats and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park · grades 5–8 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Mr. Tanen's Ties by Maryann Cocca-Leffler · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Heart of a Tiger for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Socks by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of cats and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Sniper by Theodore Taylor · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of cats.
  • Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen · grades 6–8 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park · grades 5–8 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Heart of a Tiger?
The 10 closest matches to Heart of a Tiger by Marsha Diane Arnold on ReadingList include Bad Kitty, Cat Secrets, The Dog Who Had Kittens, Titanicat, and Copycat. Each is scored on shared themes (tigers, cats, and personal names), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Heart of a Tiger reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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.

← Back to Heart of a Tiger

Browse by another angle

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: