Books like Old Yeller

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 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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.

10 books similar to Old Yeller

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Why each is a match

Rascalgrades 5–8
Shares themes of family, animals, and growing up, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7
Shares themes of family, animals, and growing up, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8
Shares themes of family and grief, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Code Name Kingfishergrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, courage, and survival and overlapping grades (4–8).
Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6
Shares themes of family, grief, and growing up and overlapping grades (4–6).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of family and growing up, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912590L
Shares themes of family, courage, and survival and overlapping grades (2–5).
Mid-Airgrades 5–8
Shares themes of grief and growing up, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L
Shares themes of family and courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ramona Quimby, Age 8860L
Shares themes of family and growing up, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).

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