What books are similar to It Came from the Trees?

The 10 closest matches to It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell on ReadingList include Dogtown, Tales from Cabin 23: The Boo Hag Flex, Heroes, Impossible Creatures, and Just Like Millie. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, courage, and fear), 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 It Came from the Trees 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 It Came from the Trees

If you liked It Came from the Trees, read Dogtown, Tales from Cabin 23: The Boo Hag Flex, or Heroes — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell (Horror · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, courage, and fear. 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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Dogtowngrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Tales from Cabin 23: The Boo Hag Flexgrades 3–6: Shares themes of fear, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and same genre (Horror). Amazon → books like this →
Heroesgrades 6–8: Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Impossible Creaturesgrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Just Like Milliegrades K–3: Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Knight Owlgrades K–3: Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Knight Owl and Early Birdgrades K–3: Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Misfit Mansiongrades 3–5: Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8: Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Skyridersgrades 6–8: Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like It Came from the Trees for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (2–5).
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (2–5).
A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (2–5).
A Mischief of Mice by Christie Matheson · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (K–3).
Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship.

Books like It Came from the Trees for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Cursed Moon by Angela Cervantes · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of fear, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (2–5).
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (3–5).
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like It Came from the Trees for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Cursed Moon by Angela Cervantes · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of fear, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (6–8).
Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight by Rey Terciero · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Texas Bluebonnet Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like It Came from the Trees for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship and courage.
The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of fear, same genre (Horror), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of courage.
Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship.

Common questions

What books are similar to It Came from the Trees?: The 10 closest matches to It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell on ReadingList include Dogtown, Tales from Cabin 23: The Boo Hag Flex, Heroes, Impossible Creatures, and Just Like Millie. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, courage, and fear), 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 It Came from the Trees 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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