Books like The One and Only Ruby

If you liked The One and Only Ruby, read Boy 2.0, Onyx & Beyond, or The Firefly Summer — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 2–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of animals, family, and memory. 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 2–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The One and Only Ruby

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Why each is a match

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Boy 2.0grades 4–8
Shares themes of family and belonging, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Onyx & Beyondgrades 3–6
Shares themes of family and memory, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Firefly Summergrades 3–7
Shares themes of family and belonging, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Wrong Way Homegrades 4–8
Shares themes of family and belonging, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Wishtree590L
Is by Katherine Applegate, the same author, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Jawbreakergrades 3–7
Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Old Yellergrades 5–8
Shares themes of animals and family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Rascalgrades 5–8
Shares themes of animals and family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Roll for Initiativegrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7
Shares themes of animals and family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The One and Only Ruby for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Picture Purrfect (Bodega Cats #1) by Hilda Eunice Burgos · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of animals and family and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo · 450L — Shares themes of animals and family and overlapping grades (K–3).
  • Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–4).
  • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of belonging, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like The One and Only Ruby for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–5 — Is by Katherine Applegate, the same author, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
  • Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–6 — Is by Katherine Applegate, the same author, shares themes of family, and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga · 930L — Shares themes of family and belonging, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like The One and Only Ruby for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–6 — Is by Katherine Applegate, the same author, shares themes of family, and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga · 930L — Shares themes of family and belonging, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
  • The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

Books like The One and Only Ruby for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Common questions

What books are similar to The One and Only Ruby?
The 10 closest matches to The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate on ReadingList include Boy 2.0, Onyx & Beyond, The Firefly Summer, The Wrong Way Home, and Wishtree. Each is scored on shared themes (animals, family, and memory), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The One and Only Ruby reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–5), 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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