What books are similar to Pax?

The 10 closest matches to Pax by Sara Pennypacker on ReadingList include Wonder, Out of My Mind, Because of Winn-Dixie, Restart, and Summer of the Monkeys. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, war, and loyalty), 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 Pax 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 Pax

If you liked Pax, read Wonder, Out of My Mind, or Because of Winn-Dixie — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Wonder by R.J. Palacio — shares friendship

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Looking for books like Pax by Sara Pennypacker (Middle Grade Fiction · 760L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, war, and loyalty. 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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Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L: 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 →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of friendship and loss, both on the California Young Reader Medal 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 (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (730L vs 760L). Amazon → books like this →
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7: Shares themes of nature, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L: Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 760L). Amazon → books like this →
The Wild Robot740L: Shares themes of nature, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (740L vs 760L). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Frindle830L: Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (830L vs 760L). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: 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 →

Books like Pax 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, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
A Mischief of Mice by Christie Matheson · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship and nature.
Guji Guji by Chen, Zhiyuan · grades K–3 — Shares themes of loyalty.

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

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

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park · 720L — Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (720L vs 760L).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Rascal by Sterling North · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of nature, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), a close reading level (730L vs 760L), and the same era (2010s).
The Hidden Kingdom by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of war and loyalty and overlapping grades (3–7).

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

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

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park · 720L — Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (720L vs 760L).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Rascal by Sterling North · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of nature, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), a close reading level (730L vs 760L), and the same era (2010s).
The Hidden Kingdom by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of war and loyalty and overlapping grades (3–7).

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

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

Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (850L vs 760L), and the same era (2010s).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship and loss and a close reading level (730L vs 760L).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (800L vs 760L), and the same era (2010s).
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque · 830L — Shares themes of war and a close reading level (830L vs 760L).

Common questions

What books are similar to Pax?: The 10 closest matches to Pax by Sara Pennypacker on ReadingList include Wonder, Out of My Mind, Because of Winn-Dixie, Restart, and Summer of the Monkeys. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, war, and loyalty), 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 Pax 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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