What books are similar to Lifeboat 12?

The 10 closest matches to Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood on ReadingList include A Dog's Life, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Evil Librarian, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, and Millicent Min, Girl Genius (The Millicent Min Trilogy, Book 1). Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Lifeboat 12 reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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 Lifeboat 12

If you liked Lifeboat 12, read A Dog's Life, Sarah, Plain and Tall, or Evil Librarian — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: A Dog's Life by Ann M. Martin

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Looking for books like Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood (Children's · grades 3–7)? 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 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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A Dog's Lifegrades 4–6: Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Sarah, Plain and Tall660L: Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Evil Librariangrades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaursgrades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Millicent Min, Girl Genius (The Millicent Min Trilogy, Book 1)grades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Milogrades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Openly, Honestlygrades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
See You in the Cosmosgrades 3–7: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Stella Díaz Has Something to Saygrades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Teddy Mars Book #3: Almost an Outlawgrades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Lifeboat 12 for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman · grades 3–7 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Detective's Assistant - FREE PREVIEW EDITION (The First 8 Chapters) by Kate Hannigan · grades 3–7 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Fourth Stall Part III by Chris Rylander · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Haunting of Falcon House by Eugene Yelchin · grades 3–7 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: The Wall of Fame Game by Crystal Allen · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like Lifeboat 12 for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman · grades 3–7 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Detective's Assistant - FREE PREVIEW EDITION (The First 8 Chapters) by Kate Hannigan · grades 3–7 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Fourth Stall Part III by Chris Rylander · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Haunting of Falcon House by Eugene Yelchin · grades 3–7 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: The Wall of Fame Game by Crystal Allen · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like Lifeboat 12 for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Lovely War by Julie Berry · grades 9–12 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2010s).
Mapping the Bones by Jane Yolen · grades 9–12 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2010s).
What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold · grades 9–12 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Lifeboat 12?: The 10 closest matches to Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood on ReadingList include A Dog's Life, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Evil Librarian, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, and Millicent Min, Girl Genius (The Millicent Min Trilogy, Book 1). Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Lifeboat 12 reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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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