What books are similar to Loch?

The 10 closest matches to Loch by Paul Zindel on ReadingList include Drive-By, All About Sam, Shiloh, The Boys Start the War, and The Lemonade War. Each is scored on shared themes (underwater exploration, brothers and sisters, and monsters), 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 Loch 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 Loch

If you liked Loch, read Drive-By, All About Sam, or Shiloh — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Loch by Paul Zindel (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of underwater exploration, brothers and sisters, and monsters. 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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Drive-Bygrades 3–8: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
All About Samgrades 4–6: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Shiloh890L: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
The Boys Start the Wargrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Lemonade Wargrades 4–6: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Who Needs a Bratty Brother?grades 3–5: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
Zach's Liegrades 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 →
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Jobgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →

Books like Loch for younger readers (K–2)

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

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).
Sharing Susan by Eve Bunting · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).
Tangerine by Edward Bloor · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (1990s).
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).

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

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

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz · grades 3–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Loot by Jude Watson · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
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).

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

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

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz · grades 3–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Hostage by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Loot by Jude Watson · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
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).

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

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

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–9).
Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–9).
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–10).

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

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