Books like Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning
If you liked Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning, read Hostage, Backlash, or The Hot and Cold Summer — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.
Closest match: Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts — shares neighbors
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Looking for books like Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning by Danette Haworth (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of neighbors, summer, and lightning. 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 Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning
HostageWillo Davis Roberts
BacklashSarah Darer Littman
The Hot and Cold SummerJohanna Hurwitz- When Zachary Beaver Came to TownKimberly Willis HoltWhen Zachary Beaver Came to TownKimberly Willis Holt
- A Season of GiftsRichard PeckA Season of GiftsRichard Peck
Closed for the SeasonMary Downing Hahn
Skeleton CreekPatrick Carman
Real FriendsShannon Hale
The Firefly SummerMorgan Matson
And the Dish Ran Away with the SpoonJanet Stevens
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Why each is a match
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- Hostagegrades 3–8
- Shares themes of neighbors, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Backlashgrades 3–8
- Shares themes of neighbors, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
- The Hot and Cold Summergrades 3–6
- Shares themes of summer, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
- When Zachary Beaver Came to Towngrades 2–8
- Shares themes of best friends, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
- A Season of Giftsgrades 3–8
- Shares themes of neighbors and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Closed for the Seasongrades 3–8
- Shares themes of neighbors and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Skeleton Creekgrades 3–8
- Shares themes of best friends and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Real Friendsgrades 2–8
- Shares themes of best friends and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
- The Firefly Summergrades 3–7
- Shares themes of summer and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
- And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoongrades 3–8
- Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Common questions
- What books are similar to Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning?
- The 10 closest matches to Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning by Danette Haworth on ReadingList include Hostage, Backlash, The Hot and Cold Summer, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, and A Season of Gifts. Each is scored on shared themes (neighbors, summer, and lightning), 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 Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning 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.
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