What books are similar to How to Steal a Dog?

The 10 closest matches to How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor on ReadingList include Because of Winn-Dixie, Eleven, So B. It, The City of Ember, and Wish. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like How to Steal a Dog reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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 How to Steal a Dog

If you liked How to Steal a Dog, read Because of Winn-Dixie, Eleven, or So B. It — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor? 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Elevengrades 3–5: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
So B. Itgrades 5–8: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The City of Embergrades 4–6: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Wishgrades 3–5: Is by Barbara O'Connor, the same author and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
11 Birthdaysgrades 3–5: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
A Million Ways Homegrades 4–6: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
America is Under Attack September 11 2001grades 3–5: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Librarygrades 4–6: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like How to Steal a Dog for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–7).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–8).
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes · 360L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).
Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings · grades 3–5 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–5).
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen · 1020L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like How to Steal a Dog for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Cracker The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata · grades 6–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
96 Miles by J. L. Esplin · grades 6–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list).
Buddy by M. H. Herlong · grades 6–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list).
Confetti Girl by Diana López · grades 6–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like How to Steal a Dog 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 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli · grades 6–9 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to How to Steal a Dog?: The 10 closest matches to How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor on ReadingList include Because of Winn-Dixie, Eleven, So B. It, The City of Ember, and Wish. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like How to Steal a Dog reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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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