# Books like Out of the Dust

**10** books similar to *Out of the Dust* by Karen Hesse (Middle Grade Verse Novel / Historical Fiction · 740L · grades 5–8), matched on shared themes, genre, and reading level. Every pick is grade-appropriate (a reading-level match, not just a topical one) and links to where it is assigned in US schools.

**Themes:** Great Depression, Dust Bowl, grief and loss, rural Oklahoma, mother-daughter relationship
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/similar/out-of-the-dust
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## Similar books

- [Esperanza Rising](https://readinglist.school/book/esperanza-rising) by Pam Muñoz Ryan _(750L · Grades 4–7)_ — Shares themes of Great Depression and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
- [One Crazy Summer](https://readinglist.school/book/one-crazy-summer) by Rita Williams-Garcia _(750L · Grades 5–8)_ — Shares themes of mother-daughter relationship and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
- [Inside Out & Back Again](https://readinglist.school/book/inside-out-and-back-again) by Thanhha Lai _(800L · Grades 4–8)_ — Same genre (Middle Grade Verse Novel / Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (800L vs 740L).
- [Bridge to Terabithia](https://readinglist.school/book/bridge-to-terabithia) by Katherine Paterson _(810L · Grades 4–6)_ — Shares themes of grief and loss and a close reading level (810L vs 740L).
- [Of Mice and Men](https://readinglist.school/book/of-mice-and-men) by John Steinbeck _(630L · Grades 8–11)_ — Shares themes of Great Depression and a close reading level (630L vs 740L).
- [A Lesson Before Dying](https://readinglist.school/book/a-lesson-before-dying) by Ernest J. Gaines _(750L · Grades 8–12)_ — A close reading level (750L vs 740L) and the same era (1990s).
- [The Adventures of Captain Underpants](https://readinglist.school/book/the-adventures-of-captain-underpants) by Dav Pilkey _(720L · Grades 2–5)_ — A close reading level (720L vs 740L) and the same era (1990s).
- [The Giver](https://readinglist.school/book/the-giver) by Lois Lowry _(760L · Grades 6–8)_ — A close reading level (760L vs 740L) and the same era (1990s).
- [Walk Two Moons](https://readinglist.school/book/walk-two-moons) by Sharon Creech _(770L · Grades 5–7)_ — A close reading level (770L vs 740L) and the same era (1990s).
- [Speak](https://readinglist.school/book/speak) by Laurie Halse Anderson _(690L · Grades 8–10)_ — A close reading level (690L vs 740L) and the same era (1990s).

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