Families who loved The Gnome's Eye by Anna Kerz often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child is facing a major life transition, such as moving to a new city or starting at a school where they feel like an outsider. The Gnome's Eye follows Theresa as she leaves an Austrian refugee camp for a daunting new life in Canada. It beautifully captures the disorientation of not speaking the language and the fear of leaving the familiar behind. Parents will appreciate how the story uses a small physical object, a lucky stone, as a psychological anchor for Theresa's courage. It is an ideal choice for middle-grade readers (ages 8 to 12) to foster empathy for the immigrant experience and to discuss how inner resilience can help us overcome the loneliest moments of starting over.