What books are similar to Trading Places with Tank Talbott?

The 10 closest matches to Trading Places with Tank Talbott by Dori Hillestad Butler on ReadingList include Mr. Lincoln's Way, The School Story, Daphne's Book, Jake and Lily, and My Explosive Diary. Each is scored on shared themes (dance, bullies, and authorship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Trading Places with Tank Talbott reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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.

Books like Trading Places with Tank Talbott

If you liked Trading Places with Tank Talbott, read Mr. Lincoln's Way, The School Story, or Daphne's Book — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: Mr. Lincoln's Way by Patricia Polacco — shares bullies

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Looking for books like Trading Places with Tank Talbott by Dori Hillestad Butler (Realistic Fiction · grades 4–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of dance, bullies, and authorship. 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 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Mr. Lincoln's Waygrades 3–8: Shares themes of bullies, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The School Storygrades 3–6: Shares themes of authorship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Daphne's Bookgrades 4–8: Shares themes of authorship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Jake and Lilygrades 3–6: Shares themes of bullies, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
My Explosive Diarygrades 2–8: Shares themes of bullies, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Love That Doggrades 4–8: Shares themes of authorship and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Alabama Moongrades 6–8: Shares themes of bullies and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
No Talkinggrades 3–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Schooledgrades 3–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Scranimalsgrades 3–6: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Trading Places with Tank Talbott for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill · grades K–3 — Shares themes of bullies and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Big Bad Bruce by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Shares themes of bullies and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Herbie's Troubles by Carol Chapman · grades K–3 — Shares themes of bullies and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Trading Places with Tank Talbott for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill · grades K–3 — Shares themes of bullies and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Big Bad Bruce by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Shares themes of bullies and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Herbie's Troubles by Carol Chapman · grades K–3 — Shares themes of bullies and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Trading Places with Tank Talbott for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Trading Places with Tank Talbott?: The 10 closest matches to Trading Places with Tank Talbott by Dori Hillestad Butler on ReadingList include Mr. Lincoln's Way, The School Story, Daphne's Book, Jake and Lily, and My Explosive Diary. Each is scored on shared themes (dance, bullies, and authorship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Trading Places with Tank Talbott reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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.

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