What books are similar to The Dirty Cowboy?

The 10 closest matches to The Dirty Cowboy by Amy Timberlake on ReadingList include A Life in the Wild, A Room on Lorelei Street, Apples to Oregon, As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President!, and Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life's Song. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Dirty Cowboy reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–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 The Dirty Cowboy

If you liked The Dirty Cowboy, read A Life in the Wild, A Room on Lorelei Street, or Apples to Oregon — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Dirty Cowboy by Amy Timberlake (Children's · grades K–5)? 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 K–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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A Life in the Wildgrades 4–10: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
A Room on Lorelei Streetgrades 4–9: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Apples to Oregongrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President!grades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life's Songgrades 4–10: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Bucking the Sargegrades 4–9: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
By the Light of the Halloween Moongrades K–5: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →
Children of the Great Depressiongrades 4–10: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Clementinegrades 3–8: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogungrades 4–10: Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Dirty Cowboy for younger readers (K–2)

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

Fairy Wings by Lauren Mills · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
I Dream of Trains by Angela Johnson · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Last Night by Hyewon Yum · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Mrs. Crump's Cat by Linda Smith · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Not Afraid of Dogs by Susanna Pitzer · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).

Books like The Dirty Cowboy for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Darkness Over Denmark by Ellen Levine · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Dust to Eat by Michael L. Cooper · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Fairy Wings by Lauren Mills · grades K–5 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5).
Firegirl by Tony Abbott · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like The Dirty Cowboy for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Darkness Over Denmark by Ellen Levine · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Dust to Eat by Michael L. Cooper · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Firegirl by Tony Abbott · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff · grades 3–8 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).

Books like The Dirty Cowboy for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Darkness Over Denmark by Ellen Levine · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Dust to Eat by Michael L. Cooper · grades 4–10 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
Firegirl by Tony Abbott · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Jenny of the Tetons by Kristiana Gregory · grades 4–9 — Both on the Golden Kite Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Dirty Cowboy?: The 10 closest matches to The Dirty Cowboy by Amy Timberlake on ReadingList include A Life in the Wild, A Room on Lorelei Street, Apples to Oregon, As If Being 12 3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President!, and Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life's Song. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades K–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Dirty Cowboy reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades K–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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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