Books like The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

If you liked The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn, read Invisible Isabel, A Bird Will Soar, or Curlfriends: New in Town (a Graphic Novel) — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla? 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.

10 books similar to The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

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Why each is a match

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Invisible Isabelgrades 3–6
Is by Sally J. Pla, the same author, overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
A Bird Will Soargrades 4–7
Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Curlfriends: New in Town (a Graphic Novel)grades 3–8
Both on the South Carolina Junior Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Hoopsgrades 3–5
Both on the South Carolina Junior Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Louder Than Hungergrades 7–12
Both on the South Carolina Junior Book Award list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Parachute Kidsgrades 3–7
Both on the South Carolina Junior Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Popcorn: A hilarious and moving story about coping with anxietygrades 4–7
Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Remember Usgrades 4–9
Both on the South Carolina Junior Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Show Me a Sign (Show Me a Sign, Book 1)grades 4–7
Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Something Like Homegrades 6–8
Both on the South Carolina Junior Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Chronically Dolores by Maya Van Wagenen · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • Forever Is Now by Mariama J. Lockington · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh · grades 6–8 — Both on the South Carolina Junior Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2020s).
  • The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day · grades 6–8 — Both on the South Carolina Junior Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2020s).
  • The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2020s).

Books like The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Chronically Dolores by Maya Van Wagenen · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • Forever Is Now by Mariama J. Lockington · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • The Words in My Hands by Asphyxia · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
  • This Is My Brain in Love by I. W. Gregorio · grades 9–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn?
The 10 closest matches to The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla on ReadingList include Invisible Isabel, A Bird Will Soar, Curlfriends: New in Town (a Graphic Novel), Hoops, and Louder Than Hunger. Each is scored on shared themes, 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 The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn 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.

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

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