What books are similar to Across the Desert?

The 10 closest matches to Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling on ReadingList include Are You a Cheeseburger?, Dogtown, Exclamation Mark!, Hope in the Valley, and New From Here. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Across the Desert reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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 Across the Desert

If you liked Across the Desert, read Are You a Cheeseburger?, Dogtown, or Exclamation Mark! — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–6)? 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Are You a Cheeseburger?grades K–3: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Dogtowngrades 3–6: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Exclamation Mark!grades K–3: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Hope in the Valleygrades 3–6: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
New From Heregrades 3–6: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Ruby Lost and Foundgrades 6–9: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hoopermangrades 6–9: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
You Are Here: Connecting Flightsgrades 3–6: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
A Fine, Fine Schoolgrades K–3: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
All About Samgrades 4–6: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Across the Desert for younger readers (K–2)

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

Chez Bob by Bob Shea · grades K–2 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Bagdad Ate It by Phyllis Green · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Big Bad Bruce by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Don't Fidget a Feather! by Erica Silverman · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Drawn Together by Minh Le · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Across the Desert for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by Janet Stevens · grades 3–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Bagdad Ate It by Phyllis Green · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Big Bad Bruce by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming · grades 3–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler by William Wise · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Across the Desert for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by Janet Stevens · grades 3–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming · grades 3–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler by William Wise · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
December Stillness by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 6–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Dogtag Summer by Elizabeth Partridge · grades 6–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).

Books like Across the Desert 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 California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
After by Francine Prose · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Across the Desert?: The 10 closest matches to Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling on ReadingList include Are You a Cheeseburger?, Dogtown, Exclamation Mark!, Hope in the Valley, and New From Here. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Across the Desert reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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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