What books are similar to Henry's Freedom Box?

The 10 closest matches to Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine on ReadingList include Darkness Over Denmark, Hoot, Humpty-Dumpty Egg-Splodes, No Talking, and Scaredy Squirrel. Each is scored on shared themes (slavery, fiction, african americans, fiction, and underground railroad, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Henry's Freedom Box reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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 Henry's Freedom Box

If you liked Henry's Freedom Box, read Darkness Over Denmark, Hoot, or Humpty-Dumpty Egg-Splodes — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of slavery, fiction, african americans, fiction, and underground railroad, fiction. 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Darkness Over Denmarkgrades 4–10: Is by Ellen Levine, the same author, overlapping grades (4–10), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Hoot760L: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Humpty-Dumpty Egg-Splodesgrades K–3: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
No Talkinggrades 3–8: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Scaredy Squirrelgrades K–3: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Scranimalsgrades 3–6: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survivalgrades 3–6: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Widgetgrades K–3: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Aliens Are Coming!grades 3–6: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Black Brother, Black Brothergrades 5–8: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Henry's Freedom Box for younger readers (K–2)

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

Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Dandy by Ame Dyckman · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Except Antarctica! by Todd Sturgell · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Henry's Freedom Box for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Dandy by Ame Dyckman · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Except Antarctica! by Todd Sturgell · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Henry's Freedom Box for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen · grades 6–8 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker · grades 6–8 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez · grades 4–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Henry's Freedom Box for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Henry's Freedom Box?: The 10 closest matches to Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine on ReadingList include Darkness Over Denmark, Hoot, Humpty-Dumpty Egg-Splodes, No Talking, and Scaredy Squirrel. Each is scored on shared themes (slavery, fiction, african americans, fiction, and underground railroad, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Henry's Freedom Box reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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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