What books are similar to Wink?

The 10 closest matches to Wink by Rob Harrell on ReadingList include Popcorn, Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity, Attack of the Black Rectangles, Eerie Tales from the School of Screams, and Lost & Found: Based on a True Story. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Wink reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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 Wink

If you liked Wink, read Popcorn, Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity, or Attack of the Black Rectangles — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Popcorn by Rob Harrell

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Looking for books like Wink by Rob Harrell (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–8)? 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 6–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Popcorngrades 4–8: Is by Rob Harrell, the same author, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravitygrades 4–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Attack of the Black Rectanglesgrades 6–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Eerie Tales from the School of Screamsgrades 4–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Lost & Found: Based on a True Storygrades 4–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Saving Sunshinegrades 4–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Shark Summergrades 4–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Magic Fishgrades 4–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
All the Impossible Thingsgrades 6–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Best Friendsgrades 4–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Wink for younger readers (K–2)

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

Mr. Fox's Game of "No!" by David LaRochelle · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Norman Didn't Do It! by Ryan T. Higgins · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
The Barnabus Project by Terry Fan · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
There's a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).

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

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

Mr. Fox's Game of "No!" by David LaRochelle · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Norman Didn't Do It! by Ryan T. Higgins · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
The Barnabus Project by Terry Fan · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
There's a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).

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

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

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Wink?: The 10 closest matches to Wink by Rob Harrell on ReadingList include Popcorn, Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity, Attack of the Black Rectangles, Eerie Tales from the School of Screams, and Lost & Found: Based on a True Story. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Wink reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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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