What books are similar to The Neptune Project?

The 10 closest matches to The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke on ReadingList include Skyriders, The Transall Saga, The Wild Robot, Among the Hidden, and Touching Spirit Bear. Each is scored on shared themes (environmental degradation, survival, and genetic engineering), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Neptune Project reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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 Neptune Project

If you liked The Neptune Project, read Skyriders, The Transall Saga, or The Wild Robot — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke (Science Fiction · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of environmental degradation, survival, and genetic engineering. 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 6–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Skyridersgrades 6–8: Is by Polly Holyoke, the same author, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Transall Sagagrades 6–9: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Wild Robot740L: Shares themes of survival, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Among the Hiddengrades 5–8: Both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Touching Spirit Beargrades 6–9: Shares themes of survival, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
A Long Walk to Water720L: Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25grades 6–9: Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Refugee800L: Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Sal and Gabi Break the Universegrades 4–7: Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Salt to the Sea560L: Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Neptune Project for younger readers (K–2)

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

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of survival.
A Journey Under the Sea by Craig Foster · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of ocean.
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (2–8).
Nova's Ark by Kirk, David · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
Space Case by Edward Marshall · grades K–3 — Same genre (Science Fiction).

Books like The Neptune Project for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of survival.
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).
The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Neptune Project for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Scythe by Neal Shusterman · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (4–7).
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).
The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Neptune Project for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Scythe by Neal Shusterman · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s).
The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Maze Runner by James Dashner · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (7–12).
Downriver by Will Hobbs · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of survival.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Neptune Project?: The 10 closest matches to The Neptune Project by Polly Holyoke on ReadingList include Skyriders, The Transall Saga, The Wild Robot, Among the Hidden, and Touching Spirit Bear. Each is scored on shared themes (environmental degradation, survival, and genetic engineering), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Neptune Project reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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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