What books are similar to Up a Road Slowly?

The 10 closest matches to Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt on ReadingList include The Bronze Bow, The Door in the Wall, The Hero and the Crown, The Slave Dancer, and The Outsiders. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Up a Road Slowly reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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 Up a Road Slowly

If you liked Up a Road Slowly, read The Bronze Bow, The Door in the Wall, or The Hero and the Crown — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Young Adult Fiction · grades 3–7)? 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 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Bronze Bowgrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (YOUNG ADULT FICTION), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Door in the Wallgrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Hero and the Crowngrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Slave Dancergrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Outsiders750L: Same genre (Young Adult Fiction), overlapping grades (7–9), and the same era (1960s). Amazon → books like this →
A Wrinkle in Time740L: Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (5–7), and the same era (1960s). Amazon → books like this →
American Born Chinese530L: Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Ender's Game780L: Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–10). Amazon → books like this →
Everything We Never Hadgrades 7–12: Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler700L: Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1960s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Up a Road Slowly for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1960s).
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell · 1000L — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1960s).
It's Like This Cat by Emily Neville · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1960s).
Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1960s).
Sounder by William H. Armstrong · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1960s).

Books like Up a Road Slowly for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1960s).
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell · 1000L — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1960s).
It's Like This Cat by Emily Neville · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1960s).
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12).
Monster by Walter Dean Myers · 670L — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).

Books like Up a Road Slowly for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Artifice by Sharon Cameron · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Chaos Theory by Nic Stone · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Come Home Safe by Brian G. Buckmire · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Up a Road Slowly?: The 10 closest matches to Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt on ReadingList include The Bronze Bow, The Door in the Wall, The Hero and the Crown, The Slave Dancer, and The Outsiders. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Up a Road Slowly reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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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