What books are similar to Turtle in Paradise?

The 10 closest matches to Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm on ReadingList include Full of Beans, The Fourteenth Goldfish, Abigail Adams, Amelia Lost, and Arthur, For the Very First Time. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Turtle in Paradise reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–9), 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 Turtle in Paradise

If you liked Turtle in Paradise, read Full of Beans, The Fourteenth Goldfish, or Abigail Adams — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

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Looking for books like Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm (Children's · grades 4–9)? 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 4–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Full of Beansgrades 4–7: Is by Jennifer L. Holm, the same author, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Fourteenth Goldfishgrades 4–6: Is by Jennifer L. Holm, the same author, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Abigail Adamsgrades 4–10: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Amelia Lostgrades 4–10: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Arthur, For the Very First Timegrades 4–9: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Better Nate Than Evergrades 4–9: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Between Shades Of Graygrades 4–9: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Black Potatoesgrades 4–10: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Borrowed Childrengrades 4–9: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Call of the Klondikegrades 4–10: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Turtle in Paradise for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Down Sand Mountain by Steve Watkins · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Little Little by M. E. Kerr · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).

Books like Turtle in Paradise for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Down Sand Mountain by Steve Watkins · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Little Little by M. E. Kerr · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).

Books like Turtle in Paradise for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Down Sand Mountain by Steve Watkins · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Little Little by M. E. Kerr · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Muckrackers by Ann Bausum · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Noah Webster and His Words by Jeri Ferris · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).

Common questions

What books are similar to Turtle in Paradise?: The 10 closest matches to Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm on ReadingList include Full of Beans, The Fourteenth Goldfish, Abigail Adams, Amelia Lost, and Arthur, For the Very First Time. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Turtle in Paradise reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–9), 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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