Books like Jennifer Murdley's Toad

If you liked Jennifer Murdley's Toad, read The Castle in the Attic (35th Anniversary Edition), Time for Andrew, or Aliens Ate My Homework — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: The Castle in the Attic (35th Anniversary Edition) by Elizabeth Winthrop

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Looking for books like Jennifer Murdley's Toad by Bruce Coville (Juvenile Fiction · grades 4–8)? 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Jennifer Murdley's Toad

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Why each is a match

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The Castle in the Attic (35th Anniversary Edition)grades 4–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Time for Andrewgrades 4–6
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Aliens Ate My Homeworkgrades 3–8
Is by Bruce Coville, the same author and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatchergrades 4–6
Is by Bruce Coville, the same author and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Bones on Black Spruce Mountaingrades 4–8
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Fifteengrades 4–8
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Kavik the Wolf Doggrades 4–8
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Kid Powergrades 4–8
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Boggart and the Monstergrades 4–8
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Hand-Me-Down Kidgrades 4–8
Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Jennifer Murdley's Toad for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill · grades 4–8 — Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Where It Stops, Nobody Knows by Amy Ehrlich · grades 4–8 — Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 4–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Jennifer Murdley's Toad for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill · grades 4–8 — Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Where It Stops, Nobody Knows by Amy Ehrlich · grades 4–8 — Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 4–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Common questions

What books are similar to Jennifer Murdley's Toad?
The 10 closest matches to Jennifer Murdley's Toad by Bruce Coville on ReadingList include The Castle in the Attic (35th Anniversary Edition), Time for Andrew, Aliens Ate My Homework, Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, and Bones on Black Spruce Mountain. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Jennifer Murdley's Toad reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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