What books are similar to Restart?

The 10 closest matches to Restart by Gordon Korman on ReadingList include Wonder, Fish in a Tree, Ghost, The Wild Robot, and The Crossover. Each is scored on shared themes (identity, bullying, and memory), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Restart reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Restart

If you liked Restart, read Wonder, Fish in a Tree, or Ghost — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Restart by Gordon Korman (Middle Grade Fiction · 730L · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of identity, bullying, and memory. 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Wonder790L: Shares themes of bullying, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+8 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of bullying, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Ghost730L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and a close reading level (730L vs 730L). Amazon →
The Wild Robot740L: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (740L vs 730L). Amazon →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 730L). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L: Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (700L vs 730L). Amazon →
Pax760L: Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (760L vs 730L). Amazon →
Hoot760L: Shares themes of bullying, both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (760L vs 730L). Amazon →
Merci Suárez Changes Gears700L: Shares themes of identity, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (700L vs 730L). Amazon →
The Giver760L: Shares themes of memory, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and a close reading level (760L vs 730L). Amazon →

Books like Restart for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (860L vs 730L).
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 730L).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 730L).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of memory, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).

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

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

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Shares themes of bullying, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 730L).
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks · 780L — Shares themes of identity and bullying and a close reading level (780L vs 730L).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (660L vs 730L).
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate · 590L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (590L vs 730L).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 730L).

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

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

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Shares themes of bullying, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 730L).
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks · 780L — Shares themes of identity and bullying and a close reading level (780L vs 730L).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (660L vs 730L).
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate · 590L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (590L vs 730L).
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, and a close reading level (800L vs 730L).

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

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

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list, and a close reading level (800L vs 730L).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of identity, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (8–12).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of identity, both on the California Young Reader Medal 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 (+4 more shared lists), a close reading level (800L vs 730L), and the same era (2010s).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (850L vs 730L), and the same era (2010s).

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

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