Books like Cress Watercress

If you liked Cress Watercress, read A Duet for Home, Because of You, John Lewis, or High Score — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire (Middle Grade Animal Fantasy · grades 4–5)? 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 4–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Cress Watercress

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Why each is a match

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A Duet for Homegrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Because of You, John Lewisgrades 3–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
High Scoregrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Little Monarchsgrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Lumberjackulagrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Roll for Initiativegrades 4–8
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
The Marvellersgrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
The Ogress and the Orphansgrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsensegrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Voices of the Peoplegrades 4–5
Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list, overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Cress Watercress for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis · grades K–1 — Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list and the same era (2020s).
  • Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza · grades K–1 — Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list and the same era (2020s).
  • Action!: How Movies Began by Meghan McCarthy · grades 2–3 — Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list and the same era (2020s).
  • Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty · grades K–1 — Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list and the same era (2020s).
  • Beautiful You, Beautiful Me by Tasha Spillett-Sumner · grades K–1 — Both on the South Dakota Prairie Bud, Bloom & Pasque Awards list and the same era (2020s).

Books like Cress Watercress for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Common questions

What books are similar to Cress Watercress?
The 10 closest matches to Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire on ReadingList include A Duet for Home, Because of You, John Lewis, High Score, Little Monarchs, and Lumberjackula. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Cress Watercress reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–5), 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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