What books are similar to Stone Fox?

The 10 closest matches to Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner on ReadingList include Out of My Mind, Mr. Popper's Penguins, The Season of Styx Malone, Because of Winn-Dixie, and Blended. Each is scored on shared themes (family, determination, and sacrifice), 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 Stone Fox 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 Stone Fox

If you liked Stone Fox, read Out of My Mind, Mr. Popper's Penguins, or The Season of Styx Malone — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (Middle Grade Fiction · 550L · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, determination, and sacrifice. 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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Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of family, both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Mr. Popper's Penguins910L: Shares themes of family and determination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
The Season of Styx Malone510L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Blended610L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Sarah, Plain and Tall660L: Shares themes of family and loss, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (660L vs 550L). Amazon →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of family, both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing470L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Merci Suárez Changes Gears700L: Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (700L vs 550L). Amazon →
Ramona the Pest750L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →

Books like Stone Fox for younger readers (K–2)

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

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown · 540L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (540L vs 550L).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 550L).
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (530L vs 550L).
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 550L).
Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1) by Mary Pope Osborne · 510L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (510L vs 550L).

Books like Stone Fox 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 Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Matilda by Roald Dahl · 840L — Both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).

Books like Stone Fox for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Matilda by Roald Dahl · 840L — Both on the Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry · 670L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (670L vs 550L).

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

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

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 550L).
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family and loss and a close reading level (720L vs 550L).
The Color Purple by Alice Walker · 670L — Shares themes of family and a close reading level (670L vs 550L).
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 550L).
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 550L).

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

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