What books are similar to Hope in the Valley?

The 10 closest matches to Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins on ReadingList include Ruby Lost and Found, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Dadaji's Paintbrush, Dear Mr. Henshaw, and Mick Harte Was Here. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, change, and family), 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 Hope in the Valley 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 Hope in the Valley

If you liked Hope in the Valley, read Ruby Lost and Found, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, or Dadaji's Paintbrush — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of grief, change, and family. 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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Ruby Lost and Foundgrades 6–9: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrisegrades 5–8: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Dadaji's Paintbrushgrades K–3: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon →
Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6: Shares themes of grief and family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8: Shares themes of grief and family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hoopermangrades 6–9: Shares themes of family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of grief and family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7). Amazon →
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8: Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Countdown to Yesterdaygrades 3–6: Shares themes of change and family and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Duelgrades 4–8: Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →

Books like Hope in the Valley for younger readers (K–2)

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

Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2020s).
How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide by Ame Dyckman · grades K–2 — Shares themes of family.
Night in the City by Julie Downing · grades K–2 — Shares themes of family.
Picture Purrfect (Bodega Cats #1) by Hilda Eunice Burgos · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of family and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Hope in the Valley for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Fowl Play by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (3–6).
Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Hope in the Valley for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Fowl Play by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (3–6).
Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Hope in the Valley for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of grief and family.
Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of family and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

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

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