Books like The One and Only Ivan

Looking for books like The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (Middle Grade Animal Fiction · 570L · grades 3–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of animal welfare, captivity and freedom, and friendship across species. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The One and Only Ivan

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Why each is a match

Wonder790L
Shares themes of empathy and a close reading level (790L vs 570L).
Refugee800L
Shares themes of empathy and a close reading level (800L vs 570L).
The Boy at the Back of the Classgrades 3–6
Shares themes of empathy and overlapping grades (3–6).
The 13-Story Treehouse560L
A close reading level (560L vs 570L) and the same era (2010s).
The War That Saved My Life580L
A close reading level (580L vs 570L) and the same era (2010s).
Fish in a Tree550L
A close reading level (550L vs 570L) and the same era (2010s).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912590L
A close reading level (590L vs 570L) and the same era (2010s).
Wishtree590L
A close reading level (590L vs 570L) and the same era (2010s).
Blended610L
A close reading level (610L vs 570L) and the same era (2010s).
Last Stop on Market Street610L
A close reading level (610L vs 570L) and the same era (2010s).

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