Books like Lawn Boy
If you liked Lawn Boy, read Brian's Winter, The River, or Henry Reed, Inc. — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.
Closest match: Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
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Looking for books like Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen (Realistic Fiction · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of summer employment, money-making projects for children, and business enterprises. 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 2–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Lawn Boy
Brian's WinterGary Paulsen
The RiverGary Paulsen
Henry Reed, Inc.Keith Robertson- Sharing SusanEve BuntingSharing SusanEve Bunting
Shiloh SeasonPhyllis Reynolds Naylor
TangerineEdward Bloor
VerdiJanell Cannon
Walk Two MoonsSharon Creech · 770L- When Zachary Beaver Came to TownKimberly Willis HoltWhen Zachary Beaver Came to TownKimberly Willis Holt
¡Vamos! Let's Go EatRaúl the Third III
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Why each is a match
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- Brian's Wintergrades 4–7
- Is by Gary Paulsen, the same author and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
- The Rivergrades 5–8
- Is by Gary Paulsen, the same author, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
- Henry Reed, Inc.grades 4–8
- Shares themes of business enterprises and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Sharing Susangrades 2–8
- Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Shiloh Seasongrades 3–6
- Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
- Tangerinegrades 2–8
- Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Verdigrades 3–5
- Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
- Walk Two Moons770L
- Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7). Amazon → books like this →
- When Zachary Beaver Came to Towngrades 2–8
- Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
- ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eatgrades 2–8
- Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Common questions
- What books are similar to Lawn Boy?
- The 10 closest matches to Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen on ReadingList include Brian's Winter, The River, Henry Reed, Inc., Sharing Susan, and Shiloh Season. Each is scored on shared themes (summer employment, money-making projects for children, and business enterprises), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like Lawn Boy reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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.