Books like Henry's Freedom Box

If you liked Henry's Freedom Box, read No Talking, Darkness Over Denmark, or Chains — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: No Talking by Andrew Clements

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Looking for books like Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of slavery, fiction, african americans, fiction, and underground railroad, fiction. 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Henry's Freedom Box

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Why each is a match

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No Talkinggrades 3–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Darkness Over Denmarkgrades 4–10
Is by Ellen Levine, the same author, overlapping grades (4–10), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Chains780L
Shares themes of slavery and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Something Upstairsgrades 6–8
Shares themes of slavery, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Hoot760L
Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Scranimalsgrades 3–6
Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survivalgrades 3–6
Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoongrades 3–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Boxes for Katjegrades 3–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Travelergrades 3–6
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Henry's Freedom Box for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Sold by Patricia McCormick · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of slavery, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Face at the Edge of the World by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of african americans, fiction, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Henry's Freedom Box?
The 10 closest matches to Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine on ReadingList include No Talking, Darkness Over Denmark, Chains, Something Upstairs, and Hoot. Each is scored on shared themes (slavery, fiction, african americans, fiction, and underground railroad, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Henry's Freedom Box reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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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