What books are similar to Duke?

The 10 closest matches to Duke by Kirby Larson on ReadingList include Saving Zasha, Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival, Ellie's Story, Tucky Jo and Little Heart, 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, Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival, or Ellie's Story — 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 → books like this →
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survivalgrades 3–6: Is by Kirby Larson, the same author, both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Ellie's Storygrades 3–6: Shares themes of human-animal relationships, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Tucky Jo and Little Heartgrades 3–5: Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Boy at Wargrades 4–6: Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945, both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8: Both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Class Clowngrades 3–5: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Hooway for Wodney Watgrades K–3: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Saving Winslowgrades 3–8: Shares themes of human-animal relationships, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Boxes for Katjegrades 3–8: Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Duke for younger readers (K–2)

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

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp · grades K–2 — Both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont · grades K–2 — Both on the Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Chalk by Bill Thomson · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Cookiesaurus Rex by Amy Fellner Dominy · grades K–0 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Dogku by Andrew Clements · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier · grades 3–6 — Both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Riptide by Frances Ward Weller · grades K–3 — Shares themes of human-animal relationships, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).

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

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

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson · grades 6–8 — Is by Kirby Larson, the same author and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier · grades 3–6 — Both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Spying on Miss Müller by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945 and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
I am the Weapon by Allen Zadoff · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Paul, Big, and Small by David Glen Robb · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Room by Emma Donoghue · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Duke?: The 10 closest matches to Duke by Kirby Larson on ReadingList include Saving Zasha, Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival, Ellie's Story, Tucky Jo and Little Heart, 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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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