What books are similar to Stone Fox?

The 10 closest matches to Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner on ReadingList include Because of Winn-Dixie, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Matilda, The Season of Styx Malone, and Blended. Each is scored on shared themes (family, determination, and sacrifice), 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 Stone Fox 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 Stone Fox

If you liked Stone Fox, read Because of Winn-Dixie, Mr. Popper's Penguins, or Matilda — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo — shares loss

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Looking for books like Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (Middle Grade Fiction · 550L · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, determination, and sacrifice. 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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Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of loss, both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Mr. Popper's Penguins910L: Shares themes of family and determination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Matilda840L: Both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Season of Styx Malone510L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Blended610L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Sarah, Plain and Tall660L: Shares themes of family and loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (660L vs 550L). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of family, both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of family, both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Stuart Little920L: Shares themes of family, both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The 13-Story Treehouse560L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 550L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Stone Fox for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner · 490L — Shares themes of family, both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (490L vs 550L).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–4).

Books like Stone Fox for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate · 590L — Same genre (Middle Grade Fiction) and a close reading level (590L vs 550L).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of loss, both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Superteacher Project by Gordon Korman · grades 3–6 — Both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Stone Fox for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate · 590L — Same genre (Middle Grade Fiction) and a close reading level (590L vs 550L).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of loss, both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Superteacher Project by Gordon Korman · grades 3–6 — Both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of loss, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (760L vs 550L).

Books like Stone Fox 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 550L).
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 550L).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of sacrifice and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens · 1170L — Shares themes of sacrifice and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (590L vs 550L).

Common questions

What books are similar to Stone Fox?: The 10 closest matches to Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner on ReadingList include Because of Winn-Dixie, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Matilda, The Season of Styx Malone, and Blended. Each is scored on shared themes (family, determination, and sacrifice), 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 Stone Fox 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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