What books are similar to Saving Winslow?

The 10 closest matches to Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech on ReadingList include A Boy Named Queen, Ungifted, Stepping Up, The Stranger Next Door, and Duke. Each is scored on shared themes (donkeys, human-animal relationships, and friendship), 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 Saving Winslow 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 Saving Winslow

If you liked Saving Winslow, read A Boy Named Queen, Ungifted, or Stepping Up — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of donkeys, human-animal relationships, and friendship. 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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A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Ungiftedgrades 5–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Stepping Upgrades 3–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
The Stranger Next Doorgrades 3–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Dukegrades 3–5: Shares themes of human-animal relationships, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
Eight Keysgrades 4–6: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Ellie's Storygrades 3–6: Shares themes of human-animal relationships, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Postedgrades 6–9: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon →
Save Me a Seat780L: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
The Boy at the Back of the Classgrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →

Books like Saving Winslow for younger readers (K–2)

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

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (2–8).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (2–5).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Saving Winslow for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Wild Wings by Gill Lewis · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ava and Pip by Carol Weston · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz · grades 3–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Blubber by Judy Blume · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Saving Winslow for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Wild Wings by Gill Lewis · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Ava and Pip by Carol Weston · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz · grades 3–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Blubber by Judy Blume · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

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

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

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
Drama by Raina Telgemeier · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (5–9).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (6–9).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (7–10), 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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