What books are similar to Counting by 7s?

The 10 closest matches to Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan on ReadingList include Front Desk, Ghost, Ghost Boys, Here Comes the Garbage Barge, and Lulu's Mysterious Mission. Each is scored on shared themes (realistic, autistic children, and genius), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Counting by 7s reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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 Counting by 7s

If you liked Counting by 7s, read Front Desk, Ghost, or Ghost Boys — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan (Realistic Fiction · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of realistic, autistic children, and genius. 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 2–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Front Desk640L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost Boys360L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Here Comes the Garbage Bargegrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Lulu's Mysterious Missiongrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
My Explosive Diarygrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Orbiting Jupitergrades 7–10: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
The Strange Case of Origami Yodagrades 4–6: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Ungiftedgrades 5–8: Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eatgrades 2–8: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Counting by 7s for younger readers (K–2)

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

Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Counting by 7s for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein · grades 4–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Counting by 7s for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s).
Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein · grades 4–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Counting by 7s for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s).
Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Counting by 7s?: The 10 closest matches to Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan on ReadingList include Front Desk, Ghost, Ghost Boys, Here Comes the Garbage Barge, and Lulu's Mysterious Mission. Each is scored on shared themes (realistic, autistic children, and genius), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Counting by 7s reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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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