What books are similar to Hostage?

The 10 closest matches to Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts on ReadingList include Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job, Zach's Lie, Backlash, Stepping Up, and The Stranger Next Door. Each is scored on shared themes (neighbors, robbers and outlaws, and kidnapping), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Hostage reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 Hostage

If you liked Hostage, read Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job, Zach's Lie, or Backlash — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of neighbors, robbers and outlaws, and kidnapping. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Jobgrades 3–8: Shares themes of kidnapping, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Zach's Liegrades 3–8: Shares themes of kidnapping, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Backlashgrades 3–8: Shares themes of neighbors, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Stepping Upgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Stranger Next Doorgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Ava and Pipgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Ban This Bookgrades 3–6: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Lochgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Lootgrades 3–8: Shares themes of robbers and outlaws, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →

Books like Hostage 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 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).
Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).
Star in the Storm by Joan Hiatt Harlow · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).
Togo by Robert J. Blake · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).
When the Wolves Returned by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Hostage for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Saving Zasha by Randi G. Barrow · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like Hostage for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Saving Zasha by Randi G. Barrow · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).

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

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

Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2000s).
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2000s).
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–9).

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

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