Books like Stepping Up
If you liked Stepping Up, read Athlete vs. Mathlete, The Stranger Next Door, or Postcards from Camp — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.
Closest match: Athlete vs. Mathlete by W. C. Mack — shares basketball and basketball stories
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Looking for books like Stepping Up by Mark Fink (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of basketball, basketball stories, and camps. 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.
10 books similar to Stepping Up
Athlete vs. MathleteW. C. Mack
The Stranger Next DoorPeg Kehret
Postcards from CampSimms Taback
HostageWillo Davis Roberts
A Boy Named QueenSara Cassidy- Saving WinslowSharon CreechSaving WinslowSharon Creech
UngiftedGordon Korman- Ava and PipCarol WestonAva and PipCarol Weston
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous JobWillo Davis Roberts
Ban This BookAlan Gratz
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Why each is a match
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- Athlete vs. Mathletegrades 3–5
- Shares themes of basketball and basketball stories and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
- The Stranger Next Doorgrades 3–8
- Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Postcards from Campgrades 3–6
- Shares themes of camps, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
- Hostagegrades 3–8
- Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
- A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8
- Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Saving Winslowgrades 3–8
- Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Ungiftedgrades 5–8
- Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
- Ava and Pipgrades 3–8
- Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Jobgrades 3–8
- Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Ban This Bookgrades 3–6
- Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Books like Stepping Up for elementary readers (grades 3–5)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).
- Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
- Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
- City of Thieves by Alex London · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
- City Spies by James Ponti · grades 4–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Books like Stepping Up for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).
- Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
- Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
- City of Thieves by Alex London · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
- City Spies by James Ponti · grades 4–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Common questions
- What books are similar to Stepping Up?
- The 10 closest matches to Stepping Up by Mark Fink on ReadingList include Athlete vs. Mathlete, The Stranger Next Door, Postcards from Camp, Hostage, and A Boy Named Queen. Each is scored on shared themes (basketball, basketball stories, and camps), 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 Stepping Up 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.