What books are similar to Jonathan Livingston Seagull?

The 10 closest matches to Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach on ReadingList include Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Boy at War, City Spies, and Dear Mr. Henshaw. Each is scored on shared themes (gulls, gaviotas, and novela juvenil), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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 Jonathan Livingston Seagull

If you liked Jonathan Livingston Seagull, read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, or Boy at War — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Get it on Amazon →

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Looking for books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (Realistic Fiction · grades 4–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of gulls, gaviotas, and novela juvenil. 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 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaretgrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Cat Ate My Gymsuitgrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Boy at Wargrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
City Spiesgrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Front Desk640L: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Fudgegrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Henry Reed's Babysitting Servicegrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Invisiblegrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Jelly Bellygrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull for younger readers (K–2)

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

Amos & Boris by William Steig · grades 2–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).
Big Bad Bruce by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).
Little Rabbit's Loose Tooth by Lucy Bate · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).
Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp by Mercer Mayer · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).
Miss Nelson Is Missing by Harry Allard · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).

Books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Lei and the Fire Goddess by Malia Maunakea · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Lemonade War by Davies, Jacqueline · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Lei and the Fire Goddess by Malia Maunakea · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Lemonade War by Davies, Jacqueline · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).
Fire on the Mountain by Anita Desai · grades 9–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).
I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill · grades 9–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).
The Late Great Me by Sandra Scoppettone · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (1970s).
A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Jonathan Livingston Seagull?: The 10 closest matches to Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach on ReadingList include Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Boy at War, City Spies, and Dear Mr. Henshaw. Each is scored on shared themes (gulls, gaviotas, and novela juvenil), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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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