Books like 'Paintings from the Cave: Three Novellas'
Readers who enjoyed Paintings from the Cave: Three Novellas by Gary Paulsen also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
action / adventure realistic survival animals dogs family friendship poverty coming-of-age teens
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Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMolly Lou Melon is different, but this doesn't slow her down... -
Jabari salta by Gaia Cornwall
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared at all. "Looks easy," says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back... -
Lesson Learned by Earl Sewell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhoever said "family comes first" never met Keysha's mom, Justine. Fresh out of jail, Justine wants to reconnect with her daughter—despite abandoning her to a father she hardly knew. Keysha is sure Justine's troubled past is going to play havoc with her own present and future... -
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsTrixie, Daddy, and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighborhood Laundromat... -
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The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsSurvival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working... -
Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBea has barely been scraping by since her husband died. After falling for a telephone scam, she loses everything and is forced to abandon her trailer. With only two-thirds of a tank in her old van, she heads toward the Pacific Ocean with her cat—on a mission to reclaim what’s rightfully hers, even if it means making others pay for what she lost... -
Eleven by Tom Rogers
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAlex Douglas always wanted to be a hero. But nothing heroic ever happened to Alex. Nothing, that is, until his eleventh birthday. When Alex rescues a stray dog as a birthday gift to himself, he doesn't think his life can get much better. Radar, his new dog, pretty much feels the same way. But this day has bigger things in store for both of them. This is a story about bullies and heroes... -
Saving Liliana by Elle James
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAbandoned by his mother, raised by a taciturn Marine, Dax joined the Navy to become a SEAL. Fast-forward twelve years later, he’s out of the Navy, done time as a mercenary and now works for Brotherhood Protectors. Never trusted women. Never married. Never wanted to.Lawyer and motivational speaker, Liliana Lightfeather is running for the U.S. House of Representatives for the State of Wyoming... -
Waggit's Tale by Peter Howe, Omar Rayyan
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHe is nameless. He is homeless. He is lost.Until he is found . . . by a team of mutts who shelter him and teach him how to survive the wilds of the city park.And so he becomes Waggit, the best hunter and tracker in the pack.But life in the park is dangerous and uncertain. In winter, food and warmth are scarce. Another team of wild dogs is a constant menace... -
A Letter to My Teacher: A Teacher Appreciation Gift by Deborah Hopkinson
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDear Teacher, Whenever I had something to tell you, I tugged on your shirt and whispered in your ear. This time I'm writing a letter. So begins this picture book about a girl who prefers running and jumping to listening and learning and the teacher who gently inspires her...Categorized as:
realistic friendship animals children-books fiction children action-adventure epistolary -
How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsMy Side of the Mountain meets How to Steal a Dog in this high-stakes and heartfelt middle-grade story of a young boy and his dog surviving on their own in the woods.Being alone is something Raymond is used to.Twelve-year-old Raymond Hurley has never had a place to call home...Categorized as:
survival realistic animals dogs friendship coming-of-age middle-grade action-adventure -
Buddy- How far will a boy go for the dog he loves? by M.H. Herlong
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA classic boy-and-dog tale in the tradition of Old YellerTyrone "Li'l T" Roberts meets Buddy when his family's car accidentally hits the stray dog on their way to church. Buddy turns out to be the dog Li'l T's always wished for--until Hurricane Katrina comes to New Orleans and he must leave Buddy behind... -
Alfie: by Thyra Heder
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNia loves Alfie, her pet turtle. But he’s not very soft, he doesn’t do tricks, and he’s pretty quiet. Sometimes she forgets he’s even there! That is until the night before Nia’s seventh birthday, when Alfie disappears! Then, in an innovative switch in point of view, we hear Alfie’s side of the story. He didn’t leave Nia—he’s actually searching for the perfect birthday present for his dear friend... -
Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats, Jane Harvey
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThis is the simple story of Peter, who longs to whistle for his dog, Willie, and persists until he does. When Whistle for Willie was first published in 1964, The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Keats's illustrations boldly, colorfully capture the child, his city world, and the shimmering heat of a summer's day... -
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Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn her first work of contemporary women’s fiction, bestselling author Kay Bratt draws on her own life experiences to create a raw, yet inescapably warm, novel about friendship and a wary heart’s unexpected capacity to love. A hungry, stray dog is the last thing Cara Butter needs. Stranded in Georgia with only her backpack and a few dwindling dollars, she already has too much baggage... -
The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family... -
Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThirteen-year-old Sunny runs away from her current foster parent in search of her twin sister, from whom she was separated ten years earlier. On the way, shell face a tornado, bullies, and a stray dog and the fact that her sister may not be who Sunny hoped she would be... -
Hero: Hurricane Rescue by Jennifer Li Shotz
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe action-packed follow-up to Hero, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Li Shotz. When a dangerous hurricane strikes town and Jack and his puppy, Scout, go missing, retired search-and-rescue dog Hero is the only one who can track them down.Hero and his human, Ben, set off into the woods, but when the storm surges out of control, the group is suddenly trapped with no way out... -
Skullface Boy by Chad Lutzke
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"My name is Levi. I’m 16. I’ve got a skull for a face. And here's how shit went down." Having never been outside the walls of Gramm Jones Foster Care Facility, sixteen-year-old Levi leaves in the middle of the night with an empty backpack and a newfound lust for life. A journey that leads him into the arms of delusional newlyweds, drunkards, polygamists, the dangerous, and the batshit crazy... -
Search for Treasure by Mary Alice Monroe, Angela May
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe sequel to New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s The Islanders, a beautiful story of friendship, loss, and the healing power of nature.Jake Potter is back on Dewees Island for another summer with his beloved grandmother, Honey. This time, Jake is excited that his dad will be there as he continues to recover from his injuries sustained in Afghanistan... -
Ginger by Kate Klimo
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsGinger the golden retriever narrates the story of her life, from her birth in a puppy mill through the various people who have ''owned'' her...Title: .Ginger..Author: .Klimo, Kate/ Jessell, Tim (ILT)..Publisher: .Random House Childrens Books..Publication Date: .2013/01/08..Number of Pages: .147..Binding Type: .PAPERBACK..Library of Congress:... -
Fiona's Lace by Patricia Polacco
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn Irish family stays together with the help of Fiona’s talent for making one-of-a-kind lace in this heartwarming immigration story from the New York Times bestselling creator of The Keeping Quilt.Many years ago, times were hard in all of Ireland, so when passage to America becomes available, Fiona and her family travel to Chicago...Categorized as:
family poc-mc survival poverty realistic historical-fiction children-books historical -
The Dogs of Winter by Bobbie Pyron
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Mishka is abandoned on the streets of Moscow he falls in with a gang of other homeless children, hoping they’ll give him a chance of survival. But as winter freezes the city and food becomes scarce, he is left alone, to fend for himself.Help comes in an unexpected form: Mishka is adopted by a pack of dogs. The creatures quickly become more than just his street companions, they are his family... -
That Book Woman by Heather Henson
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCal is not the readin' type. Living way high up in the Appalachian Mountains, he'd rather help Pap plow or go out after wandering sheep than try some book learning. Nope. Cal does not want to sit stoney-still reading some chicken scratch. But that Book Woman keeps coming just the same. She comes in the rain. She comes in the snow... -
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Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA shocking human rights tragedy brought to light in a story of heartbreak and triumph.Thirteen-year-old Habo has always been different— light eyes, yellow hair and white skin. Not the good brown skin his family has and not the white skin of tourists. Habo is strange and alone. His father, unable to accept Habo, abandons the family; his mother can scarcely look at him... -
Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own... -
Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA middle-grade novel about two enslaved children’s escape from a plantation and the many ways they find freedom.Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail...Categorized as:
family survival friendship realistic poc-mc black-mc historical-fiction middle-grade -
Tyrell by Coe Booth
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn astonishing new voice in teen literature, writing what is sure to be one of the most talked-about debuts of the year.Tyrell is a young, African American teen who can't get a break. He's living (for now) with his spaced-out mother and little brother in a homeless shelter. His father's in jail... -
Born to Run by Michael Morpurgo
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe bag wasn't just drifting gently along, it was turning of it's own accord. There was something inside it, squeaking and squealing in terror. Patrick didn't think about it. He shrugged off his school bag and leaped into the canal.For Best Mate, being rescued from drowning as a young puppy is only the start of his adventures...Categorized as:
animals coming-of-age dogs family friendship realistic action-adventure anthropomorphism -
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWinner of the 2018 Caldecott MedalA girl is lost in a snowstorm. A wolf cub is lost, too. How will they find their way home?Paintings rich with feeling tell this satisfying story of friendship and trust. Wolf in the Snow is a book set on a wintry night that will spark imaginations and warm hearts, from Matthew Cordell, author of Trouble Gum and Another Brother... -
The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA VERY classic from Eric Carle, creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar!When a very lonely firefly goes out into the night searching for other fireflies, it sees a lantern, a candle, and the eyes of a dog, cat, and owl all glowing in the darkness. It even sees a surprise celebration of light... -
Waggit Again by Peter Howe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAbandoned . . . again!Waggit misses the team of dogs who live in Central Park—his real family. He should have listened to them and never trusted the human. Now she's brought him to a faraway place and left him there.But Waggit is determined to find his way back home and nothing is going to stop him . . . not chains, not cruel enemies, not anything... -
Waggit Forever by Peter Howe, Omar Rayyan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA family is forever.Ever since he was abandoned as a puppy, Waggit's home has been the big, sprawling park in the heart of the city. There he has had snug shelter, food, and a family of other dogs to call his own.But now everything has changed. It is getting harder and harder to avoid the humans that invade the park every day. Food is scarce and enemies are everywhere... -
Wolf: The Journey Home by Asta Bowen
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn this fictionalized account of real events, a female wolf named Marta, along with her young family, sets out on an epic journey to return to their home hunting grounds in Montana after they are mistakenly relocated by a group of naturalists... -
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The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAmbassador, you are go for launch in T- minus 5…4…3…2…. Get ready to blast off with this high-action, high-stakes middle grade adventure that’s perfect for fans of Chris Grabenstein and Peter Lerangis!Miranda Regent can’t believe she was just chosen as one of six kids from around the world to train for the first ever mission to Mars... -
House Without Walls by Ching Yeung Russell
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor most people, home is a place with four walls. It's a place to eat, sleep, rest, and live. For a refugee, the concept of home is ever-changing, ever-moving, ever-wavering. And often, it doesn't have any walls at all.Eleven-year-old Lam escapes from Vietnam with Dee Dee during the Vietnamese Boat People Exodus in 1979, when people from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fled their homelands for safety... -
Summer Is Here by Renée Watson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNew York Times bestselling creators Renée Watson and Bea Jackson offer a picture book ode to a picture-perfect summer day, from sunrise to sunset.Summer is here!No dark clouds in the sky,it's a perfect day for play.What joy will summer bring me today?Summer is finally here, and she's bringing the most perfect day! From sunup to sundown, there's so much to do on this lovely summer day...Categorized as:
family friendship poc-mc black-mc children-books action-adventure fiction season-summer -
The Storm by Cynthia Rylant
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLife with only the sea can be lonely. Just ask Pandora and Seabold. They've lived most of their lives with the sea -- Pandora in a lighthouse and Seabold on a boat -- and they're each quite used to being alone. Or they were... -
Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA lyrical lullaby imbued with traditional Inuit beliefsThis bedtime poem, written by internationally acclaimed Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, describes the gifts bestowed upon a newborn baby by all the animals of the Arctic. Lyrically and lovingly written, this visually stunning book is infused with the Inuit values of love and respect for the land and its animal inhabitants... -
Angus and the Cat by Marjorie Flack
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom Caldecott Honor-winning children’s author and illustrator Marjorie Flack comes an adventure featuring her beloved Scottish terrier who must learn to get along with a new member of the family in Angus and the Cat .Angus’s world is turned upside down when a feline joins the household... -
Chained by Lynne Kelly
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter ten-year-old Hastin's family borrows money to pay for his sister's hospital bill, he leaves his village in northern India to take a job as an elephant keeper and work off the debt. He thinks it will be an adventure, but he isn't prepared for the cruel circus owner... -
Bang! by Sharon G. Flake
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs violence continues in his community, a 13-year-old boy must make some difficult choices to set his life on another course.Bang! Guns really sound like that, you know. Bang! And people bleed from everywhere, and blood is redder than you think. And little kids look funny in caskets. That's 'cause they ain't meant to be in one, I guess... -
Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the tradition of Jack London, Seth Kantner presents an Alaska far removed from majestic clichés of exotic travelogues and picture postcards. Kantner’s vivid and poetic prose lets readers experience Cutuk Hawcly’s life on the Alaskan plains through the character’s own words — feeling the pliers pinch of cold and hunkering in an igloo in blinding blizzards... -
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt's the first day of kindergarten and Miss Bindergarten is hard at work getting the classroom ready for her twenty-six new students. Meanwhile, Adam Krupp wakes up, Brenda Heath brushes her teeth, and Christopher Beaker finds his sneaker. Miss Bindergarten puts the finishing touches on the room just in time, and the students arrive... -
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Wild Life by Cynthia C. DeFelice
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsErik is preparing for his first-ever hunting trip when he learns that his parents are being deployed to Iraq. A few days later, Erik is shipped off to North Dakota to live with Big Darrell and Oma, grandparents he barely knows. When Erik rescues a dog that's been stuck by a porcupine, Big Darrell says Erik can't keep him. But Erik has already named her Quill and can't bear to give her up... -
Kalahari by Jessica Khoury
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDeep in the Kalahari Desert, a Corpus lab protects a dangerous secret…But what happens when that secret takes on a life of its own? When an educational safari goes wrong, five teens find themselves stranded in the Kalahari Desert without a guide... -
Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFroggy's mother knows that everyone's nervous on the first day of school. "Not me!" says Froggy, and together they leapfrog to the bus stop -- flop flop flop. Froggy's exuberant antics, complete with sound effects, will delight his many fans and reassure them that school can be fun."This is a great read-aloud with sounds and words that encourage active participation... -
Elephant Run by Roland Smith
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn 1941, bombs drop from the night skies of London, demolishing the apartment Nick Freestone lives in with his mother. Deciding the situation in England is too unstable, Nick's mother sends him to live with his father in Burma, hoping he will be safer living on the family's teak plantation. But as soon as Nick arrives, trouble erupts in this remote Burmese elephant village... -
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsRinggold recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop, the 'tar beach' of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem. Part autobiographical, part fictional, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture. The spectacular artwork resonates with color and texture... -
Storm Warning by Nicholas Edwards
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTitle: Dog Whisperer( Storm Warning) <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: NicholasEdwards <>Publisher:...
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