Books like Stepping on the Cracks

If you liked Stepping on the Cracks, read Closed for the Season, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, or Bull Run — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn

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Looking for books like Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn? 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.

10 books similar to Stepping on the Cracks

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Why each is a match

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Closed for the Seasongrades 3–8
Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Deep and Dark and Dangerousgrades 4–6
Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Bull Rungrades 5–8
Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Forty Acres And Maybe A Mulegrades 4–7
Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Jipgrades 5–8
Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Morning Girlgrades 4–7
Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Out of the Dust740L
Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Under the Blood-Red Sungrades 5–8
Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Creepy Carrots!grades 3–10
Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Librarygrades 4–6
Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Stepping on the Cracks for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 3–6 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–7 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Soap! Soap! Don’t Forget the Soap! by Tom Birdseye · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (1990s).

Books like Stepping on the Cracks for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 3–6 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–7 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).

Common questions

What books are similar to Stepping on the Cracks?
The 10 closest matches to Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn on ReadingList include Closed for the Season, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, Bull Run, Forty Acres And Maybe A Mule, and Jip. Each is scored on shared themes, 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 Stepping on the Cracks 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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