What books are similar to Red Midnight?

The 10 closest matches to Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen on ReadingList include Cryptid Hunters, Hatchet, The Call of the Wild, The River, and Two Degrees. Each is scored on shared themes (emigration and immigration, kayaks, and kayaks and kayaking), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Red Midnight reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 Red Midnight

If you liked Red Midnight, read Cryptid Hunters, Hatchet, or The Call of the Wild — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Red Midnight by Ben Mikaelsen (Adventure · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of emigration and immigration, kayaks, and kayaks and kayaking. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Cryptid Huntersgrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Adventure). Amazon →
Hatchet1020L: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
The Call of the Wild1120L: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (6–10). Amazon →
The Rivergrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Two Degreesgrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Unwindgrades 8–12: Shares themes of survival, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon →
A Wolf Called Wandergrades 4–6: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Crashgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Flight #116 Is Down!grades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Lootgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →

Books like Red Midnight for younger readers (K–2)

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

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (2–8).
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2000s).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Red Midnight for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (2–8).
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2000s).
Nightmare at the Book Fair by Dan Gutman · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
The End of the Beginning by Avi · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2000s).
Zoobreak by Gordon Korman · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Red Midnight for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (2–8).
Nightmare at the Book Fair by Dan Gutman · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
The End of the Beginning by Avi · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Adventure), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2000s).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (6–9).

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

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

The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Life of Pi by Yann Martel · 830L — Shares themes of survival.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (6–9).
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (6–9).
How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of survival.

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

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