Books like The War That Saved My Life
Looking for books like The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) · 580L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of war, resilience, and disability. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to The War That Saved My Life
Fish in a TreeLynda Mullaly Hunt · 550L
ChainsLaurie Halse Anderson · 780L
Out of My MindSharon M. Draper · 700L
Sarah, Plain and TallPatricia MacLachlan · 660L
Number the StarsLois Lowry · 670L
Inside Out & Back AgainThanhha Lai · 800L- BlendedS.M.D.BlendedSharon M. Draper · 610L
- The Season of Styx MaloneK.M.The Season of Styx MaloneKekla Magoon · 510L
Island of the Blue DolphinsScott O'Dell · 1000L
Stone FoxJohn Reynolds Gardiner · 550L
Why each is a match
- Fish in a Tree550L
- Shares themes of resilience and disability and a close reading level (550L vs 580L).
- Chains780L
- Shares themes of resilience and freedom, same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)), and a close reading level (780L vs 580L).
- Out of My Mind700L
- Shares themes of disability and family and a close reading level (700L vs 580L).
- Sarah, Plain and Tall660L
- Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)), and a close reading level (660L vs 580L).
- Number the Stars670L
- Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)), and a close reading level (670L vs 580L).
- Inside Out & Back Again800L
- Shares themes of resilience and family and a close reading level (800L vs 580L).
- Blended610L
- Shares themes of family and a close reading level (610L vs 580L).
- The Season of Styx Malone510L
- Shares themes of family and a close reading level (510L vs 580L).
- Island of the Blue Dolphins1000L
- Shares themes of resilience, same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)), and overlapping grades (4–7).
- Stone Fox550L
- Shares themes of family and a close reading level (550L vs 580L).