What books are similar to Out of My Mind?

The 10 closest matches to Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper on ReadingList include Blended, Fish in a Tree, Matilda, Frindle, and Wonder. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, inclusion, and intelligence), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Out of My Mind reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Out of My Mind

If you liked Out of My Mind, read Blended, Fish in a Tree, or Matilda — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Blended by Sharon M. Draper — shares family

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Looking for books like Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (Middle Grade Fiction · 700L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of disability, inclusion, and intelligence. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Blended610L: Is by Sharon M. Draper, the same author, shares themes of family, and both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+3 more shared lists). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Matilda840L: Shares themes of intelligence, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Frindle830L: Shares themes of intelligence, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+13 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Pax760L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book 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 intelligence and family, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Wild Robot740L: Shares themes of family, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Restart730L: Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (730L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Out of My Mind for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
You're So Amazing! by James Catchpole · grades K–2 — Shares themes of disability and friendship and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt · grades 2–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+5 more shared lists), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).

Books like Out of My Mind for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of disability and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (580L vs 700L).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+5 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+10 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like Out of My Mind for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of disability and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (580L vs 700L).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+5 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Rules by Cynthia Lord · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Out of My Mind for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (590L vs 700L).
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes · 910L — Shares themes of disability, intelligence, and friendship and a close reading level (910L vs 700L).
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck · 630L — Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (630L vs 700L).
Tears of A Tiger by Sharon M. Draper · grades 9–12 — Is by Sharon M. Draper, the same author and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), a close reading level (850L vs 700L), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Out of My Mind?: The 10 closest matches to Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper on ReadingList include Blended, Fish in a Tree, Matilda, Frindle, and Wonder. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, inclusion, and intelligence), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Out of My Mind reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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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