What books are similar to White Water?

The 10 closest matches to White Water by P. J. Petersen on ReadingList include The Cursed Moon, There's a Girl in My Hammerlock, Athlete vs. Mathlete, Bink & Gollie, and Bud, Not Buddy. Each is scored on shared themes (father and child, fear, and rafting (sports)), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like White Water reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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 White Water

If you liked White Water, read The Cursed Moon, There's a Girl in My Hammerlock, or Athlete vs. Mathlete — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like White Water by P. J. Petersen (Sports Fiction · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of father and child, fear, and rafting (sports). 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Cursed Moongrades 3–6: Shares themes of fear, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
There's a Girl in My Hammerlockgrades 6–8: Same genre (Sports Fiction), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Athlete vs. Mathletegrades 3–5: Same genre (Sports Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Bink & Golliegrades 2–8: Same genre (Sports Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Bud, Not Buddy950L: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Frindle830L: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Game Changergrades 5–8: Same genre (Sports Fiction) and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
It Came from the Treesgrades 3–6: Shares themes of fear and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L: Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like White Water for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Raft by Jim LaMarche · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of rafting (sports) and same genre (Sports Fiction).
Akiak by Robert J. Blake · grades K–3 — Same genre (Sports Fiction) and the same era (1990s).
Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley · grades K–3 — Shares themes of fear.
No More Water in the Tub by Tedd Arnold · grades K–3 — Same genre (Sports Fiction) and the same era (1990s).
Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex · grades K–3 — Shares themes of fear.

Books like White Water for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Raft by Jim LaMarche · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of rafting (sports) and same genre (Sports Fiction).
Akiak by Robert J. Blake · grades K–3 — Same genre (Sports Fiction) and the same era (1990s).
Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley · grades K–3 — Shares themes of fear.
No More Water in the Tub by Tedd Arnold · grades K–3 — Same genre (Sports Fiction) and the same era (1990s).
Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex · grades K–3 — Shares themes of fear.

Books like White Water for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Sports Fiction) and overlapping grades (5–8).
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · 890L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (1990s).
Tales from Cabin 23: The Boo Hag Flex by Justina Ireland · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of fear and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of fear and overlapping grades (6–9).
The Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia C. DeFelice · grades 3–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to White Water?: The 10 closest matches to White Water by P. J. Petersen on ReadingList include The Cursed Moon, There's a Girl in My Hammerlock, Athlete vs. Mathlete, Bink & Gollie, and Bud, Not Buddy. Each is scored on shared themes (father and child, fear, and rafting (sports)), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like White Water reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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