What books are similar to Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold)?

The 10 closest matches to Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) by Christopher Paul Curtis on ReadingList include Bud, Not Buddy, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Bucking the Sarge, and Chickadee. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold)

If you liked Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold), read Bud, Not Buddy, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), or Alchemy and Meggy Swann — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) by Christopher Paul Curtis? 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Bud, Not Buddy950L: Is by Christopher Paul Curtis, the same author, both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold)grades 3–10: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Alchemy and Meggy Swanngrades 3–10: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Bucking the Sargegrades 4–9: Is by Christopher Paul Curtis, the same author and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Chickadeegrades 4–7: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Dash (Dogs of World War II)grades 4–7: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Dead End in Norveltgrades 4–7: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboahgrades 3–10: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Full of Beansgrades 4–7: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) for younger readers (K–2)

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

A Green Place to be by Ashley Benham Yazdani · grades K–5 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (K–5), and the same era (2010s).
Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems · grades K–2 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet · grades 1–4 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Bink and Gollie: Two for One by Kate DiCamillo · grades K–2 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Charlie & Mouse Even Better by Laurel Snyder · grades K–2 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia · grades 5–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson · grades 3–7 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–7).
Chinese Menu by Grace Lin · grades 3–10 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–10).

Books like Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia · grades 5–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson · grades 3–7 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–7).
Chinese Menu by Grace Lin · grades 3–10 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–10).

Books like Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Chinese Menu by Grace Lin · grades 3–10 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–10).
The Land by Mildred D. Taylor · grades 7–12 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (7–12).
A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s).
A Few Red Drops by Claire Hartfield · grades 7–12 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).
Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold)?: The 10 closest matches to Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) by Christopher Paul Curtis on ReadingList include Bud, Not Buddy, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Bucking the Sarge, and Chickadee. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold) reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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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