What books are similar to The Million Dollar Kick?

The 10 closest matches to The Million Dollar Kick by Dan Gutman on ReadingList include Nightmare at the Book Fair, Satch and Me, Million-Dollar Throw, Athlete vs. Mathlete, and Because of Winn-Dixie. Each is scored on shared themes (contests, soccer, and contests in fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Million Dollar Kick reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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 Million Dollar Kick

If you liked The Million Dollar Kick, read Nightmare at the Book Fair, Satch and Me, or Million-Dollar Throw — the closest matches in our database, matched on reading level.

Looking for books like The Million Dollar Kick by Dan Gutman (Sports Fiction · grades 4–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of contests, soccer, and contests in fiction. 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 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Nightmare at the Book Fairgrades 3–8: Is by Dan Gutman, the same author, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Satch and Megrades 3–5: Is by Dan Gutman, the same author, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Million-Dollar Throwgrades 5–8: Same genre (Sports Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Athlete vs. Mathletegrades 3–5: Same genre (Sports Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Bink & Golliegrades 2–8: Same genre (Sports Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Bookedgrades 5–8: Shares themes of soccer and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Game Changergrades 5–8: Same genre (Sports Fiction) and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Heir Apparentgrades 6–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill Yougrades 6–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Million Dollar Kick for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Raft by Jim LaMarche · grades 2–3 — Same genre (Sports Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
The Soccer Mom From Outer Space by Barney Saltzberg · grades K–3 — Shares themes of soccer.
Akiak by Robert J. Blake · grades K–3 — Same genre (Sports Fiction).
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
Don't Fidget a Feather! by Erica Silverman · grades K–3 — Shares themes of contests.

Books like The Million Dollar Kick for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Raft by Jim LaMarche · grades 2–3 — Same genre (Sports Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
The Soccer Mom From Outer Space by Barney Saltzberg · grades K–3 — Shares themes of soccer.
Akiak by Robert J. Blake · grades K–3 — Same genre (Sports Fiction).
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
Don't Fidget a Feather! by Erica Silverman · grades K–3 — Shares themes of contests.

Books like The Million Dollar Kick for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer · grades 5–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–12), and the same era (2000s).
No Talking by Andrew Clements · grades 3–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz · grades 6–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2000s).
Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings · grades 6–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2000s).
Schooled by Gordon Korman · grades 3–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).

Books like The Million Dollar Kick for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer · grades 5–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–12), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Million Dollar Kick?: The 10 closest matches to The Million Dollar Kick by Dan Gutman on ReadingList include Nightmare at the Book Fair, Satch and Me, Million-Dollar Throw, Athlete vs. Mathlete, and Because of Winn-Dixie. Each is scored on shared themes (contests, soccer, and contests in fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Million Dollar Kick reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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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