Books like The One and Only Ruby

Looking for books like The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 2–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of animals, family, and memory. 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 2–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The One and Only Ruby

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Why each is a match

Boy 2.0grades 4–8
Shares themes of family and belonging, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Onyx & Beyondgrades 3–6
Shares themes of family and memory, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Firefly Summergrades 3–7
Shares themes of family and belonging, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Wrong Way Homegrades 4–8
Shares themes of family and belonging, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Old Yellergrades 5–8
Shares themes of animals and family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Rascalgrades 5–8
Shares themes of animals and family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7
Shares themes of animals and family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Countdown to Yesterdaygrades 3–6
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Jawbreakergrades 3–7
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

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