Books like Code Name Kingfisher

If you liked Code Name Kingfisher, read I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912, Iceberg, or Refugee — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler (Historical Fiction · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of history, courage, and family. 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.

10 books similar to Code Name Kingfisher

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Why each is a match

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I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912590L
Shares themes of history, courage, and family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Iceberggrades 3–7
Shares themes of history, courage, and survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Refugee800L
Shares themes of family and survival, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Nothing Else But Miraclesgrades 3–7
Shares themes of history and family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
A Night Dividedgrades 5–8
Shares themes of courage and family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Amir and the Jinn Princessgrades 4–8
Shares themes of courage and family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Echo680L
Shares themes of courage and family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Fever 1793grades 2–8
Shares themes of history and survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Hoopsgrades 3–5
Shares themes of history and courage, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helensgrades 4–8
Shares themes of history and survival, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Code Name Kingfisher for younger readers (K–2)

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

Books like Code Name Kingfisher for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of courage, family, and survival and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • The Cay by Theodore Taylor · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of courage and survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of history and family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis · 1000L — Shares themes of history and family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage and family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Code Name Kingfisher for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of courage, family, and survival and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • The Cay by Theodore Taylor · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of courage and survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of history and family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis · 1000L — Shares themes of history and family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage and family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Code Name Kingfisher for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Torch by Lyn Miller-Lachmann · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of history and courage and same genre (Historical Fiction).
  • How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of family and survival.
  • Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of history and courage.
  • Sky's End by Marc J. Gregson · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of courage and survival and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Code Name Kingfisher?
The 10 closest matches to Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler on ReadingList include I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912, Iceberg, Refugee, Nothing Else But Miracles, and A Night Divided. Each is scored on shared themes (history, courage, and family), 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 Code Name Kingfisher 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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