What books are similar to Swim Team?

The 10 closest matches to Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas on ReadingList include Roller Girl, Dogtown, Simon Sort of Says, Curveball, and Dog Man. Each is scored on shared themes (perseverance, friendship, and race), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Swim Team reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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 Swim Team

If you liked Swim Team, read Roller Girl, Dogtown, or Simon Sort of Says — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · grades 3–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of perseverance, friendship, and race. 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 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of perseverance and friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Dogtowngrades 3–6: Shares themes of perseverance, friendship, and courage, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8: Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Curveballgrades 3–5: Shares themes of perseverance and friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Man390L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
El Deafo420L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Globalgrades 6–8: Shares themes of perseverance and courage, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Hoopsgrades 3–5: Shares themes of perseverance and courage, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Knight Owlgrades K–3: Shares themes of perseverance, friendship, and courage and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Swim Team for younger readers (K–2)

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

Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise · grades K–3 — Shares themes of perseverance, friendship, and courage and overlapping grades (K–3).
The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
Just Like Millie by Lauren Castillo · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Swim Team for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise · grades K–3 — Shares themes of perseverance, friendship, and courage and overlapping grades (K–3).
Misfit Mansion by Kay Davault · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of friendship and courage, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–5).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).
Punycorn by Andi Watson · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of perseverance and courage, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Smile by Raina Telgemeier · 410L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).

Books like Swim Team for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).
Skyriders by Polly Holyoke · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of perseverance, friendship, and courage and overlapping grades (6–8).
Smile by Raina Telgemeier · 410L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel).
Class Act by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship and race, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8).
Heroes by Alan Gratz · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8).

Books like Swim Team for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship and courage, both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship and courage.
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Shares themes of race and both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list.

Common questions

What books are similar to Swim Team?: The 10 closest matches to Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas on ReadingList include Roller Girl, Dogtown, Simon Sort of Says, Curveball, and Dog Man. Each is scored on shared themes (perseverance, friendship, and race), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Swim Team reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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 2026-08-11. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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