What books are similar to Duke?

The 10 closest matches to Duke by Kirby Larson on ReadingList include Saving Zasha, Ellie's Story, Tucky Jo and Little Heart, Saving Winslow, and Boy at War. Each is scored on shared themes (german shepherd dog, war use, and world war, 1939-1945), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Duke reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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.

Books like Duke

If you liked Duke, read Saving Zasha, Ellie's Story, or Tucky Jo and Little Heart — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Duke by Kirby Larson (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of german shepherd dog, war use, and world war, 1939-1945. 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Saving Zashagrades 3–8: Shares themes of german shepherd dog and world war, 1939-1945, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Ellie's Storygrades 3–6: Shares themes of human-animal relationships, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Tucky Jo and Little Heartgrades 3–5: Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Saving Winslowgrades 3–8: Shares themes of human-animal relationships, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Boy at Wargrades 4–6: Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Ghost730L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8: Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
The Honest Truthgrades 5–8: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
The Thing About Leftoversgrades 4–7: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Albertgrades 3–5: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →

Books like Duke for younger readers (K–2)

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

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Duke for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Avalon High by Meg Cabot · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Class Clown by Johanna Hurwitz · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).

Books like Duke for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Fudge by Charlotte Towner Graeber · grades 4–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman · grades 3–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Duke for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).

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

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