What books are similar to Juana and Lucas?

The 10 closest matches to Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina on ReadingList include 11 Birthdays, A Green Place to be, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Alchemy and Meggy Swann, and Are You Ready to Play Outside?. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Juana and Lucas reading-level appropriate?

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

If you liked Juana and Lucas, read 11 Birthdays, A Green Place to be, or A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold) — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina? 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 K–3 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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11 Birthdaysgrades 3–5: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
A Green Place to begrades K–5: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (K–5), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold)grades 3–10: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Alchemy and Meggy Swanngrades 3–10: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Are You Ready to Play Outside?grades K–2: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (K–2), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Balloons over Broadwaygrades 1–4: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (1–4), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Bink and Gollie: Two for Onegrades K–2: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (K–2), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Charlie & Mouse Even Bettergrades K–2: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (K–2), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Man390L: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Don't Throw It to Mo!grades K–2: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (K–2), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Juana and Lucas for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Frizzy by Claribel Ortega · grades 4–5 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list).
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi · grades 5–12 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Chickadee by Louise Erdrich · grades 4–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Dash (Dogs of World War II) by Kirby Larson · grades 4–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Juana and Lucas for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi · grades 5–12 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce · 500L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Chickadee by Louise Erdrich · grades 4–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Dash (Dogs of World War II) by Kirby Larson · grades 4–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos · grades 4–7 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Juana and Lucas for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi · grades 5–12 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson · grades 3–10 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s).
Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle · grades 6–10 — Both on the Pura Belpré Author Award list and the same era (2010s).
Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill · grades 5–12 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Noah Webster and His Words by Jeri Ferris · grades 4–10 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Juana and Lucas?: The 10 closest matches to Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina on ReadingList include 11 Birthdays, A Green Place to be, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Alchemy and Meggy Swann, and Are You Ready to Play Outside?. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–3), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Juana and Lucas reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–3), 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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