What books are similar to A Long Walk to Water?

The 10 closest matches to A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park on ReadingList include Salt to the Sea, Echo, Allies, Pax, and Refugee. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, perseverance, and war), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like A Long Walk to Water reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 A Long Walk to Water

If you liked A Long Walk to Water, read Salt to the Sea, Echo, or Allies — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (Historical Fiction · 720L · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of survival, perseverance, and war. 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Salt to the Sea560L: Shares themes of survival, war, and hope, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 720L). Amazon →
Echo680L: Shares themes of war, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (680L vs 720L). Amazon →
Alliesgrades 5–9: Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon →
Pax760L: Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (760L vs 720L). Amazon →
Refugee800L: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (800L vs 720L). Amazon →
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912590L: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (590L vs 720L). Amazon →
Where the Red Fern Grows700L: Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (700L vs 720L). Amazon →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and a close reading level (580L vs 720L). Amazon →
Dragonwings870L: Shares themes of perseverance, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (870L vs 720L). Amazon →
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybegrades 4–7: Shares themes of survival and perseverance and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →

Books like A Long Walk to Water for younger readers (K–2)

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

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list and a close reading level (860L vs 720L).
Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of perseverance and overlapping grades (2–5).
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise · grades K–3 — Shares themes of perseverance.
Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise · grades K–3 — Shares themes of perseverance.

Books like A Long Walk to Water for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · 720L — Shares themes of war and a close reading level (720L vs 720L).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of survival and a close reading level (740L vs 720L).
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Same genre (Historical Fiction), a close reading level (750L vs 720L), and the same era (2010s).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of perseverance, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (950L vs 720L).
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like A Long Walk to Water for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · 720L — Shares themes of war and a close reading level (720L vs 720L).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of survival and a close reading level (740L vs 720L).
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Same genre (Historical Fiction), a close reading level (750L vs 720L), and the same era (2010s).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of perseverance, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (950L vs 720L).
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like A Long Walk to Water for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (730L vs 720L).
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card · 780L — Shares themes of war and a close reading level (780L vs 720L).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival and a close reading level (810L vs 720L).
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque · 830L — Shares themes of war and a close reading level (830L vs 720L).
Life of Pi by Yann Martel · 830L — Shares themes of survival and a close reading level (830L vs 720L).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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