What books are similar to Sarah, Plain and Tall?

The 10 closest matches to Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan on ReadingList include Number the Stars, The War That Saved My Life, The Crossover, Stone Fox, and Because of Winn-Dixie. Each is scored on shared themes (family, loss, and new beginnings), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Sarah, Plain and Tall reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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 Sarah, Plain and Tall

If you liked Sarah, Plain and Tall, read Number the Stars, The War That Saved My Life, or The Crossover — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) · 660L · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, loss, and new beginnings. 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 660L). Amazon →
Stone Fox550L: Shares themes of family and loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (550L vs 660L). Amazon →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of loss, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (610L vs 660L). Amazon →
Bea and the New Deal Horsegrades 3–5: Shares themes of family, both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon →
The Tale of Despereaux670L: Both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (670L vs 660L). Amazon →
Merci Suárez Changes Gears700L: Shares themes of family, both on the Newbery Medal list, and a close reading level (700L vs 660L). Amazon →
One Crazy Summer750L: Shares themes of family, both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 660L). Amazon →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of family, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (770L vs 660L). Amazon →

Books like Sarah, Plain and Tall for younger readers (K–2)

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

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey · 730L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 660L).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (470L vs 660L).
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña · 610L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (610L vs 660L).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of family and a close reading level (590L vs 660L).
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows · 580L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (580L vs 660L).

Books like Sarah, Plain and Tall for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Shares themes of family, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (790L vs 660L).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (790L vs 660L).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (890L vs 660L).
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper · 700L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (700L vs 660L).
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls · 700L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (700L vs 660L).

Books like Sarah, Plain and Tall for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family and loss and a close reading level (720L vs 660L).
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Golden Kite Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Shares themes of family, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (790L vs 660L).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (790L vs 660L).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (890L vs 660L).

Books like Sarah, Plain and Tall for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family and loss and a close reading level (720L vs 660L).
The Color Purple by Alice Walker · 670L — Shares themes of family and a close reading level (670L vs 660L).
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck · 680L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (680L vs 660L).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 660L).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (590L vs 660L).

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

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