Books like The Old Willis Place

If you liked The Old Willis Place, read Wait Till Helen Comes, Closed for the Season, or 11 Birthdays — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

Get it on Amazon →

Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Looking for books like The Old Willis Place 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Old Willis Place

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Wait Till Helen Comesgrades 4–7
Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
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 →
11 Birthdaysgrades 3–5
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Flushgrades 3–5
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Rulesgrades 4–7
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Million Dollar Shotgrades 3–6
Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Tale of Despereaux670L
Both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Losergrades 4–6
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Old Willis Place for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 3–5 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–5).
  • Stepping on the Cracks 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).
  • All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 5–8 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like The Old Willis Place for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Stepping on the Cracks 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).
  • All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 5–8 — Is by Mary Downing Hahn, the same author, both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • Stolen Children by Peg Kehret · grades 4–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Old Willis Place?
The 10 closest matches to The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn on ReadingList include Wait Till Helen Comes, Closed for the Season, 11 Birthdays, Because of Winn-Dixie, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Old Willis Place reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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.

← Back to The Old Willis Place

Browse by another angle

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: