What books are similar to The Million Dollar Shot?

The 10 closest matches to The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman on ReadingList include Nightmare at the Book Fair, The Million Dollar Kick, Because of Winn-Dixie, Bunnicula, and Stolen Children. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

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

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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 Shot

If you liked The Million Dollar Shot, read Nightmare at the Book Fair, The Million Dollar Kick, or Because of Winn-Dixie — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman? 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 3–6 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 →
The Million Dollar Kickgrades 4–6: Is by Dan Gutman, the same author, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Bunniculagrades 3–6: Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Stolen Childrengrades 4–6: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Hunger Games810L: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)740L: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Tale of Despereaux670L: Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The World According to Humphreygrades 3–6: Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroomgrades 4–6: Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee · grades 3–6 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–6).
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 5–8 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–8).
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea · grades 3–5 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–5).
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–6).
Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume · grades 3–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–6).

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

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

Unwind by Neal Shusterman · grades 8–12 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee · grades 3–6 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–6).
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 5–8 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–8).
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–6).
Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume · grades 3–6 — Both on the Iowa Children's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–6).

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

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

Unwind by Neal Shusterman · grades 8–12 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (5–9).
Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Million Dollar Shot?: The 10 closest matches to The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman on ReadingList include Nightmare at the Book Fair, The Million Dollar Kick, Because of Winn-Dixie, Bunnicula, and Stolen Children. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Million Dollar Shot reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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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