Books like A Door Near Here
If you liked A Door Near Here, read The Late Great Me, We All Fall Down, or A Summer to Die — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: The Late Great Me by Sandra Scoppettone — shares alcoholics and alcoholism
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Looking for books like A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of alcoholics, alcoholism, and brothers and sisters. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to A Door Near Here
The Late Great MeSandra Scoppettone
We All Fall DownRobert Cormier
A Summer to DieLois Lowry
A Handful of DustEvelyn Waugh
Chicken Soup for the Teenage SoulJack Canfield
If You Come SoftlyJacqueline Woodson
Jumping the NailEve Bunting
Just Like MartinOssie Davis
Tears of A TigerSharon M. Draper
The China GardenLiz Berry
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Why each is a match
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- The Late Great Megrades 9–12
- Shares themes of alcoholics and alcoholism, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- We All Fall Downgrades 9–12
- Shares themes of alcoholism, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- A Summer to Diegrades 9–12
- Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- A Handful of Dustgrades 11–12
- Shares themes of divorce and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soulgrades 9–12
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- If You Come Softlygrades 9–12
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Jumping the Nailgrades 9–12
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Just Like Martingrades 9–12
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Tears of A Tigergrades 9–12
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- The China Gardengrades 9–12
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
More like this
Same grade band, chosen by theme and by how many reading lists carry them. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Everything, EverythingNicola YoonAlso Realistic Fiction · on 4 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 336 pages
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The Sun is Also a StarNicola YoonAlso Realistic Fiction · on 4 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 384 pages
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A Taste of HoneyShelagh DelaneyAlso Realistic Fiction · on 2 reading lists
Grades 9–10 · 87 pages
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Define "Normal"Julie Anne PetersAlso Realistic Fiction · on 2 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 196 pages
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Izzy, Willy-NillyCynthia VoigtAlso Realistic Fiction · on 2 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 280 pages
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The Face at the Edge of the WorldEve BuntingAlso Realistic Fiction · on 2 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 158 pages
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The Silver KissAnnette Curtis KlauseAlso Realistic Fiction · on 2 reading lists
Grades 9–12 · 224 pages
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A Sudden SilenceEve BuntingAlso Realistic Fiction · on 1 reading list
Grades 9–12 · 112 pages
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AfterFrancine ProseAlso Realistic Fiction · on 1 reading list
Grades 9–12 · 330 pages
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Breathing UnderwaterAlex FlinnAlso Realistic Fiction · on 1 reading list
Grades 9–12 · 263 pages
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Crime and PunishmentFyodor DostoevskyAlso Realistic Fiction · on 1 reading list
Grades 11–12 · 370 pages
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Dash & Lily’s Book of DaresRachel CohnAlso Realistic Fiction · on 1 reading list
Grades 9–12 · 296 pages
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Books like A Door Near Here for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
- The Lemonade War by Davies, Jacqueline · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
- Drive-By by Lynne Ewing · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
- Loch by Paul Zindel · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
- The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list. Amazon →
Common questions
- What books are similar to A Door Near Here?
- The 10 closest matches to A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles on ReadingList include The Late Great Me, We All Fall Down, A Summer to Die, A Handful of Dust, and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Each is scored on shared themes (alcoholics, alcoholism, and brothers and sisters), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like A Door Near Here reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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.