What books are similar to Wildful?

The 10 closest matches to Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto on ReadingList include Duel, Between Two Brothers, Global, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, and Mid-Air. Each is scored on shared themes (nature, family, and grief), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Wildful reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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 Wildful

If you liked Wildful, read Duel, Between Two Brothers, or Global — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Duel by Jessixa Bagley — shares family and grief

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Looking for books like Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of nature, family, and grief. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Duelgrades 4–8: Shares themes of family and grief, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8: Shares themes of family and grief, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Globalgrades 6–8: Shares themes of nature, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobodygrades 4–8: Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mid-Airgrades 5–8: Shares themes of grief, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Night Traingrades 4–8: Shares themes of grief, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helensgrades 4–8: Shares themes of nature, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybegrades 4–7: Shares themes of nature and grief and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planetgrades 4–8: Shares themes of nature, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Dark!: Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Cavesgrades 3–7: Shares themes of nature, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Wildful 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 family and grief.
A Mischief of Mice by Christie Matheson · grades K–3 — Shares themes of nature.
Butt or Face? by Kari Lavelle · grades K–2 — Shares themes of nature.
Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin · grades K–3 — Shares themes of nature.
Thank a Farmer by Maria Gianferrari · grades K–2 — Shares themes of nature.

Books like Wildful for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–6).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Smile by Raina Telgemeier · 410L — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family and grief.

Books like Wildful for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–6).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Smile by Raina Telgemeier · 410L — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Four Eyes: A Graphic Novel by Rex Ogle · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like Wildful for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of grief and healing.
The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of grief.
Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger · 790L — Shares themes of grief.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Shares themes of grief.

Common questions

What books are similar to Wildful?: The 10 closest matches to Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto on ReadingList include Duel, Between Two Brothers, Global, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody, and Mid-Air. Each is scored on shared themes (nature, family, and grief), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Wildful reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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