Books like Small Steps
If you liked Small Steps, read Holes, There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, or A Mango-Shaped Space — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Closest match: Holes by Louis Sachar
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Looking for books like Small Steps by Louis Sachar? 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 6–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Small Steps
HolesLouis Sachar · 660L
There's a Boy in the Girls' BathroomLouis Sachar
A Mango-Shaped SpaceWendy Mass
Tending to GraceKimberly Newton Fusco
Things Not SeenAndrew Clements
Waiting for NormalLeslie Connor
After Ever AfterJordan Sonnenblick
Anything But TypicalNora Raleigh Baskin
Hurt Go HappyGinny Rorby
12 AgainSue Corbett
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Why each is a match
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- Holes660L
- Is by Louis Sachar, the same author and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
- There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroomgrades 4–6
- Is by Louis Sachar, the same author and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
- A Mango-Shaped Spacegrades 5–8
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- Tending to Gracegrades 6–9
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- Things Not Seengrades 6–8
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- Waiting for Normalgrades 5–8
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- After Ever Aftergrades 5–8
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Anything But Typicalgrades 5–8
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Hurt Go Happygrades 7–10
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
- 12 Againgrades 6–8
- Overlapping grades (6–8) and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Common questions
- What books are similar to Small Steps?
- The 10 closest matches to Small Steps by Louis Sachar on ReadingList include Holes, There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, A Mango-Shaped Space, Tending to Grace, and Things Not Seen. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like Small Steps reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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.