What books are similar to Nimbus?

The 10 closest matches to Nimbus by Jan Eldredge on ReadingList include The Trumpet of the Swan, A Game of Noctis, Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God, The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1), and The House at the Edge of Magic. Each is scored on shared themes (loyalty, courage, and animals), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Nimbus reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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 Nimbus

If you liked Nimbus, read The Trumpet of the Swan, A Game of Noctis, or Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White — shares courage and animals

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Looking for books like Nimbus by Jan Eldredge (Middle Grade Fantasy · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of loyalty, courage, and animals. 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 3–6 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 Trumpet of the Swangrades 3–6: Shares themes of courage and animals, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
A Game of Noctisgrades 3–6: Both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain Godgrades 3–6: Both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1)grades 2–5: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
The House at the Edge of Magicgrades 3–5: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktalegrades 3–5: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Witching Windgrades 3–6: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Witchlingsgrades 2–5: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Cook-A-Doodle-Doo!grades 3–6: Shares themes of animals, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Dogtowngrades 3–6: Shares themes of courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Nimbus for younger readers (K–2)

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

Butt or Face? by Kari Lavelle · grades K–2 — Shares themes of animals.
Picture Purrfect (Bodega Cats #1) by Hilda Eunice Burgos · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of animals and overlapping grades (2–5).
The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of animals and overlapping grades (2–5).
Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius by Lynne Cox · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of animals and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Nimbus for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight by Rey Terciero · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
Stuntboy, In-Between Time by Jason Reynolds · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Nimbus for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight by Rey Terciero · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
Stuntboy, In-Between Time by Jason Reynolds · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).

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

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

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of loyalty and courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9).
Antigone by Sophocles · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of loyalty.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens · 1150L — Shares themes of loyalty.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare · grades 9–11 — Shares themes of loyalty.
The Odyssey by Homer · 1130L — Shares themes of loyalty.

Common questions

What books are similar to Nimbus?: The 10 closest matches to Nimbus by Jan Eldredge on ReadingList include The Trumpet of the Swan, A Game of Noctis, Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God, The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1), and The House at the Edge of Magic. Each is scored on shared themes (loyalty, courage, and animals), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Nimbus reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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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