What books are similar to Fish in a Tree?

The 10 closest matches to Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt on ReadingList include Out of My Mind, Wonder, The War That Saved My Life, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Because of Winn-Dixie. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, friendship, and school), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Fish in a Tree reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Fish in a Tree

If you liked Fish in a Tree, read Out of My Mind, Wonder, or The War That Saved My Life — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Middle Grade Fiction · 550L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of disability, friendship, and school. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship and bullying, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of disability and resilience, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (580L vs 550L). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of friendship and school, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
El Deafo420L: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (420L vs 550L). Amazon →
The Season of Styx Malone510L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L: Shares themes of friendship and school, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and a close reading level (500L vs 550L). Amazon →
Hello, Universe690L: Shares themes of friendship and bullying, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 550L). Amazon →
Restart730L: Shares themes of bullying, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →

Books like Fish in a Tree for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 550L).
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 550L).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (470L vs 550L).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and a close reading level (390L vs 550L).

Books like Fish in a Tree for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Shares themes of school, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Rules by Cynthia Lord · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Fish in a Tree for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and school, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Shares themes of school, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Rules by Cynthia Lord · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like Fish in a Tree for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck · 630L — Shares themes of disability and friendship and a close reading level (630L vs 550L).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and bullying and overlapping grades (6–9).
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes · 910L — Shares themes of disability and friendship.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang · 530L — Shares themes of bullying and a close reading level (530L vs 550L).
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie · 600L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list and a close reading level (600L vs 550L).

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

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