Books like

Books like Maniac Magee

12 books with a reading profile close to Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Clear-cut; an easy read.

1

Touching Spirit Bear

by Ben Mikaelsen

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Cole Matthews, fifteen, is a violent young offender who has been sentenced to a Native-inspired form of justice called Circle Justice.
2

Esperanza Rising

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Esperanza Ortega lives a life of luxury on her family’s ranch in Aguascalientes, Mexico, until her father’s sudden death and the destruction of her home by her uncles forces a sudden escape.
3

Corduroy

by Don Freeman

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Corduroy is a small bear in green overalls who lives on a shelf in a crowded department store.
4

The Running Dream

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Jessica Carlisle, a track star who loses her leg below the knee following a bus accident, faces the abrupt end of her identity as an athlete.
5

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

by Mitch Albom

inspirational, narrative

Annie is a young woman whose life was changed by an accident at Ruby Pier, the amusement park where Eddie, the hero of Albom's first novel, spent his life.
6

Fish in a Tree

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Ally Nickerson has reached the sixth grade by using distractions and bad behavior to hide her inability to read.
7

The Polar Express

by Chris Van Allsburg

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

On Christmas Eve, a young boy waits in bed for the sound of reindeer bells, only to find a steam engine idling in front of his house.
8

The Last Sin Eater

by Francine Rivers

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Set in the 1850s Appalachian Mountains, the narrative follows Cadi Forbes, a young girl burdened by the guilt of her sister’s death.
9

THE FUTURE IS PEACE

by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon

inspirational, narrative

Following the violence beginning on October 7, Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon embarked on a seven-day journey across the United Kingdom and Europe to advocate for a shared path forward.
10

Because of Winn-Dixie

by Kate DiCamillo

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni moves to Naomi, Florida, with her father, a preacher who struggles to talk about Opal’s absent mother.
11

Love You Forever

by Robert Munsch

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

This story follows the life of a mother and her son through the various stages of his development.
12

Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed - A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings

by Michelle Knight

Also clear-cut · inspirational, narrative

Michelle Knight narrates her eleven-year captivity in the house of Ariel Castro, where she was the first of three women abducted.

Get picks matched to your own reading on papr.

Get papr

Your library, beautifully understood.