What books are similar to Stuck in Neutral?

The 10 closest matches to Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman on ReadingList include The Thing About Leftovers, Rules, So B. It, Surviving the Applewhites, and Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. Each is scored on shared themes (disability, perspective, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Stuck in Neutral reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–10), 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 Stuck in Neutral

If you liked Stuck in Neutral, read The Thing About Leftovers, Rules, or So B. It — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman (Realistic Fiction · grades 7–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of disability, perspective, and family. 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 7–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Thing About Leftoversgrades 4–7: Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Rulesgrades 4–7: Shares themes of disability, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
So B. Itgrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Surviving the Applewhitesgrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Piegrades 6–9: Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon →
Front Desk640L: Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Ghost Boys360L: Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of disability and family and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrisegrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →

Books like Stuck in Neutral for younger readers (K–2)

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

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).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of family.
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Stuck in Neutral for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of disability and family and overlapping grades (4–7).
A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like Stuck in Neutral for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Shares themes of disability and family and overlapping grades (4–7).
A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Stuck in Neutral for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon · 1090L — Shares themes of disability and family and overlapping grades (8–12).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).

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

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