What books are similar to Game Changer?

The 10 closest matches to Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald on ReadingList include Million-Dollar Throw, Athlete vs. Mathlete, Ghost, New Kid, and Smile. Each is scored on shared themes (football, injury, and truth), 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 Game Changer 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 Game Changer

If you liked Game Changer, read Million-Dollar Throw, Athlete vs. Mathlete, or Ghost — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald (Sports Fiction · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of football, injury, and truth. 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.

Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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Why each is a match

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Million-Dollar Throwgrades 5–8: Shares themes of football, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Sports Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Athlete vs. Mathletegrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Sports Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Smile410L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Crossover750L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Allergicgrades 4–6: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Bink & Golliegrades 2–8: Same genre (Sports Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Game Changer for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan · 740L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson · grades 5–8 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–8).
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass · grades 3–5 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s).
A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold · grades 3–5 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Game Changer for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan · 740L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson · grades 5–8 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–8).
A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Legend by Marie Lu · grades 6–9 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list, overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson · grades 7–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Game Changer?: The 10 closest matches to Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald on ReadingList include Million-Dollar Throw, Athlete vs. Mathlete, Ghost, New Kid, and Smile. Each is scored on shared themes (football, injury, and truth), 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 Game Changer 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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