Books like The Dark Frigate

If you liked The Dark Frigate, read Sounder, The Midwife's Apprentice, or Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Dark Frigate by Hawes C. (Fiction · grades 3–7)? 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.

10 books similar to The Dark Frigate

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Why each is a match

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Soundergrades 3–7
Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Midwife's Apprenticegrades 3–7
Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtzegrades 3–7
Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
A Smart Kid Like Yougrades 4–8
Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon & Ghond The Huntergrades 3–7
Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
Hitty Her First Hundred Yearsgrades 3–7
Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
Motown and Didigrades 4–8
Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Shen of the Seagrades 3–7
Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
Smoky the Cowhorsegrades 3–7
Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →
Tales from Silver Landsgrades 3–7
Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Dark Frigate for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
  • The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P (Eric Philbrook) Kelly · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
  • The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
  • Wilderness by David Thompson · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like The Dark Frigate for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
  • The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P (Eric Philbrook) Kelly · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
  • The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1920s).
  • Wilderness by David Thompson · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Dark Frigate?
The 10 closest matches to The Dark Frigate by Hawes C. on ReadingList include Sounder, The Midwife's Apprentice, Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, A Smart Kid Like You, and Gay Neck, The Story of a Pigeon & Ghond The Hunter. Each is scored on shared themes, 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 The Dark Frigate 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 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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