What books are similar to Love That Dog?

The 10 closest matches to Love That Dog by Sharon Creech on ReadingList include Ruby Holler, Frankenstein Takes the Cake, Because of Winn-Dixie, Bunnicula, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Each is scored on shared themes (poetry, fiction, poetry, and authorship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Love That Dog reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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 Love That Dog

If you liked Love That Dog, read Ruby Holler, Frankenstein Takes the Cake, or Because of Winn-Dixie — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Love That Dog by Sharon Creech (Poetry · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of poetry, fiction, poetry, and authorship. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Ruby Hollergrades 3–5: Is by Sharon Creech, the same author, both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Frankenstein Takes the Cakegrades 2–8: Shares themes of poetry, same genre (Poetry), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Bunniculagrades 3–6: Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Falling Upgrades 4–8: Both on the Maine Student Book Award list, same genre (Poetry), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Losergrades 4–6: Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Rulesgrades 4–7: Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Saving Winslowgrades 3–8: Is by Sharon Creech, the same author and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Hunger Games810L: Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Love That Dog for younger readers (K–2)

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

My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman · grades K–3 — Shares themes of poetry and same genre (Poetry).
Epossumondas by Coleen Salley · grades K–3 — Shares themes of new york times reviewed.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. · grades K–3 — Same genre (Poetry).
The Lady With the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Westcott · grades K–3 — Shares themes of poetry.
This is My Book by Mark Pett · grades K–3 — Shares themes of authorship.

Books like Love That Dog for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman · grades K–3 — Shares themes of poetry and same genre (Poetry).
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo · 670L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).
El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine · grades 4–7 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Love That Dog for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo · 670L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).
El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine · grades 4–7 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7).
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein · grades 4–6 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Love That Dog for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Selected Poems by Christina Rossetti · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of poetry and same genre (Poetry).
Ariel by Sylvia Plath · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of poetry and same genre (Poetry).
Collected Poems by Gabriel Okara · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of poetry and same genre (Poetry).
England's Green by Zaffar Kunial · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of poetry and same genre (Poetry).
Kumukanda by Kayo Chingonyi · grades 9–10 — Shares themes of poetry and same genre (Poetry).

Common questions

What books are similar to Love That Dog?: The 10 closest matches to Love That Dog by Sharon Creech on ReadingList include Ruby Holler, Frankenstein Takes the Cake, Because of Winn-Dixie, Bunnicula, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Each is scored on shared themes (poetry, fiction, poetry, and authorship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Love That Dog reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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