What books are similar to Where the Red Fern Grows?

The 10 closest matches to Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls on ReadingList include Summer of the Monkeys, The Crossover, Out of My Mind, Holes, and The Giver. Each is scored on shared themes (boy-and-dog bond, rural self-reliance, and perseverance), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Where the Red Fern Grows reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Where the Red Fern Grows

If you liked Where the Red Fern Grows, read Summer of the Monkeys, The Crossover, or Out of My Mind — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls — shares perseverance and family

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Looking for books like Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (Children's Fiction · 700L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of boy-and-dog bond, rural self-reliance, and perseverance. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7: Is by Wilson Rawls, the same author, shares themes of perseverance and family, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (700L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Both on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list (+3 more shared lists) and a close reading level (660L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
The Giver760L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (760L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (790L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
A Long Walk to Water720L: Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (720L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
The Graveyard Book820L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (820L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Charlotte's Web680L: Both on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Children's Fiction), and a close reading level (680L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (770L vs 700L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Where the Red Fern Grows for younger readers (K–2)

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

Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief and family.
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak · 740L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (740L vs 700L), and the same era (1960s).
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey · 730L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 700L).

Books like Where the Red Fern Grows for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (820L vs 700L).
Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and family, both on the North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of grief and family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of perseverance and grief and overlapping grades (4–7).
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt · 770L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (770L vs 700L).

Books like Where the Red Fern Grows for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (820L vs 700L).
Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and family, both on the North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of grief and family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of perseverance and grief and overlapping grades (4–7).
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt · 770L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (770L vs 700L).

Books like Where the Red Fern Grows for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Shares themes of grief and coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (850L vs 700L).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (720L vs 700L).
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Shares themes of family and coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (800L vs 700L).
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd · 840L — Shares themes of family and coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (840L vs 700L).
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger · 790L — Shares themes of grief, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (790L vs 700L).

Common questions

What books are similar to Where the Red Fern Grows?: The 10 closest matches to Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls on ReadingList include Summer of the Monkeys, The Crossover, Out of My Mind, Holes, and The Giver. Each is scored on shared themes (boy-and-dog bond, rural self-reliance, and perseverance), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Where the Red Fern Grows reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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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