What books are similar to High-Wire Henry?

The 10 closest matches to High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun on ReadingList include Widget, Cat Secrets, Martha Speaks, The Dog Who Had Kittens, and Titanicat. Each is scored on shared themes (cats, tightrope walking, and dogs), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like High-Wire Henry reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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 High-Wire Henry

If you liked High-Wire Henry, read Widget, Cat Secrets, or Martha Speaks — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun (Realistic Fiction · grades K–3)? It’s most often read for its themes of cats, tightrope walking, and dogs. 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 K–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Widgetgrades K–3: Shares themes of cats, dogs, and cats, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Cat Secretsgrades K–3: Shares themes of cats and cats, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Martha Speaksgrades K–3: Shares themes of dogs, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Dog Who Had Kittensgrades K–3: Shares themes of cats and dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Titanicatgrades K–3: Shares themes of cats and cats, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Bagdad Ate Itgrades K–3: Shares themes of dogs, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Owney: The Mail-Pouch Poochgrades 3–8: Shares themes of dogs, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Good Doggrades 3–6: Shares themes of dogs, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Copycatgrades K–3: Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Don't Need Friendsgrades K–2: Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–2). Amazon → books like this →

Books like High-Wire Henry for younger readers (K–2)

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

Heart of a Tiger by Marsha Diane Arnold · grades K–3 — Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Riptide by Frances Ward Weller · grades K–3 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Rugby and Rosie by Nan Parson Rossiter · grades K–3 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Grannyman by Judith Byron Schachner · grades K–3 — Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like High-Wire Henry for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Socks by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of cats and cats, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Heart of a Tiger by Marsha Diane Arnold · grades K–3 — Shares themes of cats, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Riptide by Frances Ward Weller · grades K–3 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Rugby and Rosie by Nan Parson Rossiter · grades K–3 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like High-Wire Henry for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Socks by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of cats and cats, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Tornado by Betsy Cromer Byars · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of dogs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Bristle Face by Zachary Ball · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of dogs and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like High-Wire Henry for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Bad by Jean Ferris · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Breaking Boxes by A. M. Jenkins · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Ironman by Chris Crutcher · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Shadow of the Dragon by Sherry Garland · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to High-Wire Henry?: The 10 closest matches to High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun on ReadingList include Widget, Cat Secrets, Martha Speaks, The Dog Who Had Kittens, and Titanicat. Each is scored on shared themes (cats, tightrope walking, and dogs), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like High-Wire Henry reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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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