What books are similar to Tucky Jo and Little Heart?

The 10 closest matches to Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Polacco on ReadingList include Boy at War, Duke, Here Comes the Garbage Barge, Prisoner B-3087, and Saving Zasha. Each is scored on shared themes (soldiers, kindness, and world war, 1939-1945), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Tucky Jo and Little Heart reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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.

Books like Tucky Jo and Little Heart

If you liked Tucky Jo and Little Heart, read Boy at War, Duke, or Here Comes the Garbage Barge — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Polacco (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of soldiers, kindness, and world war, 1939-1945. 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Boy at Wargrades 4–6: Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945 and history, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Dukegrades 3–5: Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Here Comes the Garbage Bargegrades 2–8: Shares themes of history, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon →
Prisoner B-3087grades 3–8: Shares themes of history, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Saving Zashagrades 3–8: Shares themes of world war, 1939-1945, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Ghost730L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Shiloh Seasongrades 3–6: Shares themes of kindness, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
The Honest Truthgrades 5–8: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
The Thing About Leftoversgrades 4–7: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of kindness, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →

Books like Tucky Jo and Little Heart for younger readers (K–2)

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

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (2–5).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Tucky Jo and Little Heart for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Albert by Donna Jo Napoli · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Avalon High by Meg Cabot · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Class Clown by Johanna Hurwitz · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).

Books like Tucky Jo and Little Heart for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Rules by Cynthia Lord · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like Tucky Jo and Little Heart for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin · 920L — Shares themes of history.
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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