What books are similar to Sarah, Plain and Tall?

The 10 closest matches to Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan on ReadingList include Number the Stars, Because of Winn-Dixie, Stone Fox, The Tale of Despereaux, and Bea and the New Deal Horse. Each is scored on shared themes (family, loss, and new beginnings), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Sarah, Plain and Tall reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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 Sarah, Plain and Tall

If you liked Sarah, Plain and Tall, read Number the Stars, Because of Winn-Dixie, or Stone Fox — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry — shares family

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Looking for books like Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) · 660L · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, loss, and new beginnings. 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of loss, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (610L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →
Stone Fox550L: Shares themes of family and loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (550L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →
The Tale of Despereaux670L: Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (670L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →
Bea and the New Deal Horsegrades 3–5: Shares themes of family, both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulanegrades 3–6: Shares themes of loss, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Whipping Boygrades 3–7: Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh890L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (890L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (790L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Sarah, Plain and Tall for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (690L vs 660L).
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg · 700L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (700L vs 660L).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Shares themes of family, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (790L vs 660L).
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell · 1000L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list, and a close reading level (860L vs 660L).

Books like Sarah, Plain and Tall for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family and loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (720L vs 660L).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 660L).
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Golden Kite Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)).
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (690L vs 660L).
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg · 700L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (700L vs 660L).

Books like Sarah, Plain and Tall for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family and loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (720L vs 660L).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 660L).
The Color Purple by Alice Walker · 670L — Shares themes of family and a close reading level (670L vs 660L).
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson · 690L — Both on the Golden Kite Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (690L vs 660L).
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck · 680L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (680L vs 660L).

Common questions

What books are similar to Sarah, Plain and Tall?: The 10 closest matches to Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan on ReadingList include Number the Stars, Because of Winn-Dixie, Stone Fox, The Tale of Despereaux, and Bea and the New Deal Horse. Each is scored on shared themes (family, loss, and new beginnings), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Sarah, Plain and Tall reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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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