What books are similar to Pax?

The 10 closest matches to Pax by Sara Pennypacker on ReadingList include Because of Winn-Dixie, Wonder, Out of My Mind, Holes, and The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, war, and loyalty), 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 Pax 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 Pax

If you liked Pax, read Because of Winn-Dixie, Wonder, or Out of My Mind — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Pax by Sara Pennypacker (Middle Grade Fiction · 760L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, war, and loyalty. 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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Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of friendship and loss, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L: 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 →
Holes660L: 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 →
The Mouse and the Motorcycle860L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Restart730L: Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (730L vs 760L). Amazon →
The Adventures of Captain Underpants720L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L: 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 →
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7: Shares themes of nature, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →

Books like Pax for younger readers (K–2)

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

The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 760L).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
A Mischief of Mice by Christie Matheson · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship and nature.
The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and nature and overlapping grades (2–5).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Same genre (Middle Grade Fiction) and a close reading level (750L vs 760L).

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

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

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (760L vs 760L).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of nature, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (740L vs 760L).
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and war and a close reading level (720L vs 760L).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 760L).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 760L).

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

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

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (760L vs 760L).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of nature, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (740L vs 760L).
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and war and a close reading level (720L vs 760L).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 760L).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 760L).

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

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

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of friendship and loyalty and a close reading level (750L vs 760L).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship and loss and a close reading level (730L vs 760L).
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of war, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (800L vs 760L), and the same era (2010s).
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of nature, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–9).

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

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