What books are similar to Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe?

The 10 closest matches to Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl on ReadingList include A Long Walk to Water, The Wild Robot, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Wildful. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, grief, and nature), 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 Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe 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 Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

If you liked Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, read A Long Walk to Water, The Wild Robot, or Sal and Gabi Break the Universe — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park — shares survival and perseverance

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Looking for books like Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl (Realistic Fiction · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of survival, grief, and nature. 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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A Long Walk to Water720L: Shares themes of survival and perseverance and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Wild Robot740L: Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Sal and Gabi Break the Universegrades 4–7: Shares themes of grief, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Where the Red Fern Grows700L: Shares themes of grief and perseverance and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Wildfulgrades 4–8: Shares themes of grief and nature and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Willa of the Woodgrades 4–7: Shares themes of nature, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Old Yellergrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival and grief and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Rascalgrades 5–8: Shares themes of nature and perseverance and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7: Shares themes of nature and perseverance and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Trumpet of the Swangrades 3–6: Shares themes of nature and perseverance and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · 1020L — Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (5–8).
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell · 1000L — Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (4–7).
Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E. Barone · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (4–8).
The River by Gary Paulsen · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (5–8).
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway · 940L — Shares themes of nature and perseverance.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · 1020L — Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (5–8).
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell · 1000L — Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (4–7).
Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E. Barone · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (4–8).
The River by Gary Paulsen · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of survival and nature and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway · 940L — Shares themes of nature and perseverance.
The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of grief and both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Shares themes of grief.
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival and nature, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill · grades 9–10 — Shares themes of nature and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe?: The 10 closest matches to Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl on ReadingList include A Long Walk to Water, The Wild Robot, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Wildful. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, grief, and nature), 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 Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe 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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