What books are similar to The Hand-Me-Down Kid?

The 10 closest matches to The Hand-Me-Down Kid by Francine Pascal on ReadingList include Bones on Black Spruce Mountain, Fifteen, Jennifer Murdley's Toad, Kavik the Wolf Dog, and Kid Power. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Hand-Me-Down Kid reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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 Hand-Me-Down Kid

If you liked The Hand-Me-Down Kid, read Bones on Black Spruce Mountain, Fifteen, or Jennifer Murdley's Toad — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Hand-Me-Down Kid by Francine Pascal (Juvenile Fiction · grades 4–8)? 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Bones on Black Spruce Mountaingrades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Fifteengrades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Jennifer Murdley's Toadgrades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Kavik the Wolf Doggrades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Kid Powergrades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Boggart and the Monstergrades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Castle in the Attic (35th Anniversary Edition)grades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Toothpaste Millionairegrades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Time for Andrewgrades 4–6: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Where It Stops, Nobody Knowsgrades 4–8: Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list, same genre (Juvenile Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Hand-Me-Down Kid for younger readers (K–2)

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

A Story, a Story by Gail E. Haley · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Ballet Brown by Bellen Woodard · grades K–1 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Barnaby Unboxed! by Terry Fan · grades 2–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).

Books like The Hand-Me-Down Kid for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

A Boy at War by Harry Mazer · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–6).
A Story, a Story by Gail E. Haley · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry · grades K–3 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7).
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like The Hand-Me-Down Kid for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

102 Days of Lying About Lauren by Maura Jortner · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–8).
A Boy at War by Harry Mazer · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–6).
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7).
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7).
Caddie Woodlawn's Family by Carol Ryrie Brink · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like The Hand-Me-Down Kid for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Gone Wolf by Amber McBride · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).
Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Juvenile Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Hand-Me-Down Kid?: The 10 closest matches to The Hand-Me-Down Kid by Francine Pascal on ReadingList include Bones on Black Spruce Mountain, Fifteen, Jennifer Murdley's Toad, Kavik the Wolf Dog, and Kid Power. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Hand-Me-Down Kid reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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