Books like When Sea Becomes Sky

Looking for books like When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, nature, and art. 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to When Sea Becomes Sky

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Why each is a match

Countdown to Yesterdaygrades 3–6
Shares themes of family and change, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Rascalgrades 5–8
Shares themes of family and nature, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7
Shares themes of family and nature, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Wild Robot740L
Shares themes of family and nature, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Boy 2.0grades 4–8
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Dadaji's Paintbrushgrades K–3
Shares themes of family and art and overlapping grades (K–3).
Hope in the Valleygrades 3–6
Shares themes of family and change and overlapping grades (3–6).
Jawbreakergrades 3–7
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Just Keep Walkinggrades 3–6
Shares themes of nature, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

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