Books like Stolen Children

If you liked Stolen Children, read Abduction, Escaping the Giant Wave, or Because of Winn-Dixie — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Stolen Children by Peg Kehret? 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 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Stolen Children

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Why each is a match

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Abductiongrades 3–6
Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Escaping the Giant Wavegrades 3–6
Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L
Both on the Charlotte Award list (+5 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Deep and Dark and Dangerousgrades 4–6
Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Nothing's Fair in Fifth Gradegrades 3–6
Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Ruby Hollergrades 3–5
Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The City of Embergrades 4–6
Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Hunger Games810L
Both on the Charlotte Award list (+3 more shared lists), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)740L
Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Million Dollar Shotgrades 3–6
Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Stolen Children for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret · grades 4–6 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret · grades 3–8 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • The Stranger Next Door by Peg Kehret · grades 3–8 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • Nightmare Mountain by Peg Kehret · grades 3–6 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Small Steps by Peg Kehret · grades 4–10 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (4–10).

Books like Stolen Children for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret · grades 4–6 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret · grades 3–8 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • The Stranger Next Door by Peg Kehret · grades 3–8 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • Nightmare Mountain by Peg Kehret · grades 3–6 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Small Steps by Peg Kehret · grades 4–10 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (4–10).

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

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

  • Small Steps by Peg Kehret · grades 4–10 — Is by Peg Kehret, the same author, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (4–10).
  • Unwind by Neal Shusterman · grades 8–12 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
  • Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli · grades 6–9 — Both on the Charlotte Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).
  • Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Stolen Children?
The 10 closest matches to Stolen Children by Peg Kehret on ReadingList include Abduction, Escaping the Giant Wave, Because of Winn-Dixie, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, and Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Stolen Children reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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