What books are similar to Mick Harte Was Here?

The 10 closest matches to Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park on ReadingList include The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Operation: Dump the Chump, Weslandia, Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, and Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, family, and safety), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Mick Harte Was Here reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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.

Books like Mick Harte Was Here

If you liked Mick Harte Was Here, read The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Operation: Dump the Chump, or Weslandia — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart — shares grief and family

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Looking for books like Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park (Realistic Fiction · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of grief, family, and safety. 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrisegrades 5–8: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Operation: Dump the Chumpgrades 4–8: Is by Barbara Park, the same author, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Weslandiagrades 3–8: Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouthgrades 3–8: Is by Barbara Park, the same author, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Piegrades 6–9: Shares themes of family, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of grief and family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7). Amazon → books like this →
Bud, Not Buddy950L: Shares themes of family, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlotte Award list (+6 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Where the Red Fern Grows700L: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Mick Harte Was Here for younger readers (K–2)

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

Zomo the Rabbit by Gerald McDermott · grades K–3 — Both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (1990s).
Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief and family.
Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Heart of a Tiger by Marsha Diane Arnold · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Mr. Tanen's Ties by Maryann Cocca-Leffler · grades K–3 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Books like Mick Harte Was Here for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of grief and family, both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and family, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Mick Harte Was Here for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of grief and family, both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and family, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Mick Harte Was Here for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli · grades 6–9 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grief and family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+5 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (5–9).
Small Steps by Peg Kehret · grades 4–10 — Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–10), and the same era (1990s).
Perfect by Natasha Friend · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Mick Harte Was Here?: The 10 closest matches to Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park on ReadingList include The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Operation: Dump the Chump, Weslandia, Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, and Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, family, and safety), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Mick Harte Was Here reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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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