What books are similar to Swindle?

The 10 closest matches to Swindle by Gordon Korman on ReadingList include Holes, Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, Closed for the Season, Dog Man, and El Deafo. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, justice, and heist), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Swindle reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Swindle

If you liked Swindle, read Holes, Big Nate: In a Class by Himself, or Closed for the Season — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Swindle by Gordon Korman (Mystery · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, justice, and heist. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Holes660L: Shares themes of friendship and justice, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Closed for the Seasongrades 3–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon →
Dog Man390L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon →
El Deafo420L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Roller Girl440L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Ungiftedgrades 5–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →

Books like Swindle for younger readers (K–2)

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

A Lot to Like! by Derek Anderson · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
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 overlapping grades (2–5).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–4).
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like Swindle for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Framed! by James Ponti · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Swindle for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7).
Framed! by James Ponti · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Matilda by Roald Dahl · 840L — Shares themes of justice, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–6).

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

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

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship and justice and same genre (Mystery).
Drama by Raina Telgemeier · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Legend by Marie Lu · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of justice, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Maze Runner by James Dashner · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (7–12).
Under the Surface by Diana Urban · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12).

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

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