What books are similar to Red Midnight?

The 10 closest matches to Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen on ReadingList include Cryptid Hunters, Rescue Josh McGuire, Sparrow Hawk Red, Hatchet, and The River. Each is scored on shared themes (emigration and immigration, kayaks, and kayaks and kayaking), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Red Midnight reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 Red Midnight

If you liked Red Midnight, read Cryptid Hunters, Rescue Josh McGuire, or Sparrow Hawk Red — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith — shares survival

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Looking for books like Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen (Adventure · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of emigration and immigration, kayaks, and kayaks and kayaking. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Cryptid Huntersgrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Adventure). Amazon → books like this →
Rescue Josh McGuiregrades 3–5: Is by Ben Mikaelsen, the same author, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Sparrow Hawk Redgrades 6–8: Is by Ben Mikaelsen, the same author, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Hatchet1020L: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Rivergrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Two Degreesgrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
A Wolf Called Wandergrades 4–6: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Crashgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Flight #116 Is Down!grades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Lootgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Red Midnight for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Nightmare at the Book Fair by Dan Gutman · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Sheep by Valerie Hobbs · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s).
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s).
The End of the Beginning by Avi · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2000s).
Zoobreak by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Red Midnight for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Is by Ben Mikaelsen, the same author, shares themes of survival, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Nightmare at the Book Fair by Dan Gutman · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Sheep by Valerie Hobbs · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s).
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s).
The End of the Beginning by Avi · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2000s).

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

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

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Is by Ben Mikaelsen, the same author, shares themes of survival, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Downriver by Will Hobbs · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of survival and same genre (Adventure).
Pursuit by Michael French · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of survival and same genre (Adventure).
Life of Pi by Yann Martel · 830L — Shares themes of survival.

Common questions

What books are similar to Red Midnight?: The 10 closest matches to Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen on ReadingList include Cryptid Hunters, Rescue Josh McGuire, Sparrow Hawk Red, Hatchet, and The River. Each is scored on shared themes (emigration and immigration, kayaks, and kayaks and kayaking), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Red Midnight reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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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