What books are similar to Mario and the Hole in the Sky?

The 10 closest matches to Mario and the Hole in the Sky by Elizabeth Rusch on ReadingList include A Band of Angels, A Dance Like Starlight, A Green Place to be, A Visitor for Bear, and Big Red Lollipop. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Mario and the Hole in the Sky reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–5), 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 Mario and the Hole in the Sky

If you liked Mario and the Hole in the Sky, read A Band of Angels, A Dance Like Starlight, or A Green Place to be — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: A Band of Angels by Deborah Hopkinson

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Looking for books like Mario and the Hole in the Sky by Elizabeth Rusch (Children's · grades K–5)? 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–5 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 Band of Angelsgrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
A Dance Like Starlightgrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
A Green Place to begrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
A Visitor for Beargrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Big Red Lollipopgrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Boats for Papagrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Clever Little Witchgrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Doña Florgrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Wintergrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Lester’s Dreadful Sweatersgrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Mario and the Hole in the Sky for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Made By Hand: A Crafts Sampler by Carole Lexa Schaefer · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Mama, Do You Love Me? & Papa, Do You Love Me? Bundle by Barbara M. Joosse · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Marvelous Cornelius by Phil Bildner · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Me and Momma and Big John by Mara Rockliff · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).

Books like Mario and the Hole in the Sky for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Made By Hand: A Crafts Sampler by Carole Lexa Schaefer · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Mama, Do You Love Me? & Papa, Do You Love Me? Bundle by Barbara M. Joosse · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Marvelous Cornelius by Phil Bildner · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Me and Momma and Big John by Mara Rockliff · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).

Books like Mario and the Hole in the Sky for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Twenty-One by Elizabeth Rusch · grades 6–12 — Is by Elizabeth Rusch, the same author, both on the Golden Kite Award list, and same genre (Children's).
Boots on the Ground by Elizabeth Partridge · grades 6–12 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2010s).
Torpedoed by Deborah Heiligman · grades 6–12 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Mario and the Hole in the Sky for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Twenty-One by Elizabeth Rusch · grades 6–12 — Is by Elizabeth Rusch, the same author, both on the Golden Kite Award list, and same genre (Children's).
Boots on the Ground by Elizabeth Partridge · grades 6–12 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2010s).
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).
Torpedoed by Deborah Heiligman · grades 6–12 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Mario and the Hole in the Sky?: The 10 closest matches to Mario and the Hole in the Sky by Elizabeth Rusch on ReadingList include A Band of Angels, A Dance Like Starlight, A Green Place to be, A Visitor for Bear, and Big Red Lollipop. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Mario and the Hole in the Sky reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–5), 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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