What books are similar to Ruby Lost and Found?

The 10 closest matches to Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li on ReadingList include Dear Mr. Henshaw, Hope in the Valley, Walk Two Moons, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, and Invisible Isabel. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, family, and identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Ruby Lost and Found reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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 Ruby Lost and Found

If you liked Ruby Lost and Found, read Dear Mr. Henshaw, Hope in the Valley, or Walk Two Moons — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of grief, family, and identity. 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 6–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6: Shares themes of grief, family, and identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Hope in the Valleygrades 3–6: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of grief, family, and identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7). Amazon →
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrisegrades 5–8: Shares themes of grief and family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Invisible Isabelgrades 3–6: Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Stand Up, Yumi Chunggrades 4–7: Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Stuntboy, In-Between Timegrades 3–6: Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Ghost Boys360L: Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8: Shares themes of grief and family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Shut Up, This Is Seriousgrades 9–12: Shares themes of family and identity, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon →

Books like Ruby Lost and Found for younger readers (K–2)

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

Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief and family and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
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).
Ursula Upside Down by Corey R. Tabor · grades K–3 — Shares themes of identity and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2020s).
Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of identity.

Books like Ruby Lost and Found for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief and family and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Shares themes of grief, family, and identity and overlapping grades (5–8).
You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Ellen Oh · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of identity, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Between Two Brothers by Crystal Allen · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Ruby Lost and Found for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Shares themes of grief, family, and identity and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Ellen Oh · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of identity, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Between Two Brothers by Crystal Allen · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Ruby Lost and Found for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (7–12).
Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (7–12).
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (7–12).
The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of grief and identity and overlapping grades (9–12).

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

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