What books are similar to Out of the Dust?

The 10 closest matches to Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse on ReadingList include One Crazy Summer, Esperanza Rising, Bridge to Terabithia, Inside Out & Back Again, and The Cats in Krasinski Square. Each is scored on shared themes (Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and grief and loss), 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 Out of the Dust 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 Out of the Dust

If you liked Out of the Dust, read One Crazy Summer, Esperanza Rising, or Bridge to Terabithia — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia — shares mother-daughter relationship

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Looking for books like Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Middle Grade Verse Novel / Historical Fiction · 740L · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and grief and loss. 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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One Crazy Summer750L: Shares themes of mother-daughter relationship, both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Esperanza Rising750L: Shares themes of Great Depression, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Bridge to Terabithia810L: Shares themes of grief and loss, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (810L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Inside Out & Back Again800L: Same genre (Middle Grade Verse Novel / Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (800L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
The Cats in Krasinski Squaregrades 3–8: Is by Karen Hesse, the same author and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Dead End in Norveltgrades 4–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Piegrades 3–8: Shares themes of mother-daughter relationship and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Sarah, Plain and Tall660L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (660L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
The Giver760L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (760L vs 740L), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (770L vs 740L), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Out of the Dust for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (660L vs 740L), and the same era (1990s).
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle · 740L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (740L vs 740L).
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).

Books like Out of the Dust for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (660L vs 740L), and the same era (1990s).
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle · 740L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (740L vs 740L).
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).

Books like Out of the Dust for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson · 780L — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list and a close reading level (780L vs 740L).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (720L vs 740L), and the same era (1990s).
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan · 930L — Shares themes of mother-daughter relationship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (930L vs 740L).
Lord of the Flies by William Golding · 770L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (770L vs 740L).
A Time of Troubles by Pieter Van Raven · grades 5–9 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Out of the Dust?: The 10 closest matches to Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse on ReadingList include One Crazy Summer, Esperanza Rising, Bridge to Terabithia, Inside Out & Back Again, and The Cats in Krasinski Square. Each is scored on shared themes (Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and grief and loss), 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 Out of the Dust 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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