Books like Planet Earth Is Blue

If you liked Planet Earth Is Blue, read Front Desk, Loser, or Walk Two Moons — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of autism, family, and sad. 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 6–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Planet Earth Is Blue

Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Front Desk640L
Shares themes of family, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Losergrades 4–6
Shares themes of family, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L
Shares themes of family, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Crenshawgrades 3–6
Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Piegrades 6–9
Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost Boys360L
Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8
Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Stuck in Neutralgrades 7–10
Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrisegrades 5–8
Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Thing About Leftoversgrades 4–7
Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Planet Earth Is Blue for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Guji Guji by Chen, Zhiyuan · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
  • Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Planet Earth Is Blue for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Fig Pudding by Ralph J. Fletcher · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of family, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Guji Guji by Chen, Zhiyuan · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Planet Earth Is Blue for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Breakout by Kate Messner · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Planet Earth Is Blue for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
  • Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Planet Earth Is Blue?
The 10 closest matches to Planet Earth Is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos on ReadingList include Front Desk, Loser, Walk Two Moons, Crenshaw, and Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. Each is scored on shared themes (autism, family, and sad), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Planet Earth Is Blue reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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.

← Back to Planet Earth Is Blue

Browse by another angle