What books are similar to Old Yeller?

The 10 closest matches to Old Yeller by Fred Gipson on ReadingList include Rascal, Summer of the Monkeys, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Hatchet, and Mid-Air. Each is scored on shared themes (family, courage, and survival), 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 Old Yeller 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 Old Yeller

If you liked Old Yeller, read Rascal, Summer of the Monkeys, or Dear Mr. Henshaw — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Rascal by Sterling North — shares family and animals

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Looking for books like Old Yeller by Fred Gipson (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, courage, and survival. 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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Rascalgrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, animals, and growing up, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7: Shares themes of family, animals, and growing up, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6: Shares themes of family, grief, and growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Hatchet1020L: Shares themes of survival and growing up, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mid-Airgrades 5–8: Shares themes of grief and growing up, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Harriet the Spygrades 4–7: Shares themes of growing up, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L: Shares themes of family, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L: Shares themes of family and courage, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Wild Robot740L: Shares themes of family and survival, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Old Yeller for younger readers (K–2)

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

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family and growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+2 more shared lists) and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family and growing up, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Shares themes of courage and growing up.
Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family and grief.

Books like Old Yeller for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family and growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of family and growing up, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Between Two Brothers by Crystal Allen · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family and grief, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family and survival, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).

Books like Old Yeller for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Shares themes of growing up, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of family and growing up, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Between Two Brothers by Crystal Allen · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family and grief, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family and survival, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).
Restart by Gordon Korman · 730L — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).

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

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

Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family and survival, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family and growing up, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (7–10).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Shares themes of grief and both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list.

Common questions

What books are similar to Old Yeller?: The 10 closest matches to Old Yeller by Fred Gipson on ReadingList include Rascal, Summer of the Monkeys, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Hatchet, and Mid-Air. Each is scored on shared themes (family, courage, and survival), 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 Old Yeller 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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