What books are similar to Stuck in Neutral?

The 10 closest matches to Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman on ReadingList include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Flowers for Algernon, Of Mice and Men, So B. It, and Surviving the Applewhites. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, perspective, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Stuck in Neutral reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–10), 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 Stuck in Neutral

If you liked Stuck in Neutral, read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Flowers for Algernon, or Of Mice and Men — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon — shares disability and family

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Looking for books like Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman (Realistic Fiction · grades 7–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of disability, perspective, and family. 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 7–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time1090L: Shares themes of disability and family and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
Flowers for Algernon910L: Shares themes of disability and overlapping grades (8–11). Amazon → books like this →
Of Mice and Men630L: Shares themes of disability and overlapping grades (8–11). Amazon → books like this →
So B. Itgrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Surviving the Applewhitesgrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Rulesgrades 4–7: Shares themes of disability, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsgrades 7–10: Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
Son of the Mobgrades 6–9: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Hunger Games810L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Maze Runnergrades 7–12: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Stuck in Neutral for younger readers (K–2)

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

Hoodwinked by Arthur Howard · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester · grades K–3 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Hungry Hen by Richard Waring · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Stuck in Neutral for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Albert by Donna Jo Napoli · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Avalon High by Meg Cabot · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester · grades K–3 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky · grades 3–6 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Stuck in Neutral for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky · grades 3–6 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Shares themes of disability.
The Girl Who Figured It Out by Minda Dentler · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of disability.
The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines by Mo Netz · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of disability.

Common questions

What books are similar to Stuck in Neutral?: The 10 closest matches to Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman on ReadingList include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Flowers for Algernon, Of Mice and Men, So B. It, and Surviving the Applewhites. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, perspective, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Stuck in Neutral reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–10), 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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