What books are similar to Wish?

The 10 closest matches to Wish by Barbara O'Connor on ReadingList include Because of Mr. Terupt, El Deafo, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Escaping the Giant Wave, and How to Steal a Dog. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Wish reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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 Wish

If you liked Wish, read Because of Mr. Terupt, El Deafo, or Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

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Looking for books like Wish by Barbara O'Connor? 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Because of Mr. Teruptgrades 3–5: Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
El Deafo420L: Both on the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Librarygrades 4–6: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Escaping the Giant Wavegrades 3–6: Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
How to Steal a Doggrades 3–5: Is by Barbara O'Connor, the same author and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Best School Year Evergrades 3–6: Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Front Desk640L: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Max and the Midknightsgrades 3–6: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Pie in the Skygrades 3–6: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden · grades 3–5 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s).
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick · grades 3–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).
Superfudge by Judy Blume · grades 3–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick · grades 3–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt · grades 6–8 — Both on the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Superfudge by Judy Blume · grades 3–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Both on the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Legend by Marie Lu · grades 6–9 — Both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list and the same era (2010s).
Stung by Bethany Wiggins · grades 6–9 — Both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Wish?: The 10 closest matches to Wish by Barbara O'Connor on ReadingList include Because of Mr. Terupt, El Deafo, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Escaping the Giant Wave, and How to Steal a Dog. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Wish reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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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