What books are similar to Out of My Mind?

The 10 closest matches to Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper on ReadingList include Wonder, Fish in a Tree, Holes, The Wild Robot, and Pax. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, inclusion, and intelligence), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Out of My Mind reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Out of My Mind

If you liked Out of My Mind, read Wonder, Fish in a Tree, or Holes — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (Middle Grade Fiction · 700L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of disability, inclusion, and intelligence. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+12 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Holes660L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
The Wild Robot740L: Shares themes of family, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Pax760L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Blended610L: Shares themes of family, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L: Shares themes of intelligence and family, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+8 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Maniac Magee820L: Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →

Books like Out of My Mind for younger readers (K–2)

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

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like Out of My Mind for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of disability and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (580L vs 700L).
Matilda by Roald Dahl · 840L — Shares themes of intelligence, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The BFG by Roald Dahl · 720L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry · 670L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (670L vs 700L).

Books like Out of My Mind for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of disability and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (580L vs 700L).
Matilda by Roald Dahl · 840L — Shares themes of intelligence, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
The BFG by Roald Dahl · 720L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry · 670L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (670L vs 700L).

Books like Out of My Mind for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (720L vs 700L).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 700L).
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck · 630L — Shares themes of disability and friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (630L vs 700L).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and a close reading level (800L vs 700L).
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes · 910L — Shares themes of disability, intelligence, and friendship and a close reading level (910L vs 700L).

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

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