What books are similar to A Family Apart?

The 10 closest matches to A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon on ReadingList include The Lemonade War, The Other Side of Dark, All About Sam, Spirit Seeker, and Drive-By. Each is scored on shared themes (family, fiction, family, juvenile literature, and foster home care), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like A Family Apart reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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 A Family Apart

If you liked A Family Apart, read The Lemonade War, The Other Side of Dark, or All About Sam — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, fiction, family, juvenile literature, and foster home care. 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 6–8 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 Lemonade Wargrades 4–6: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Other Side of Darkgrades 6–8: Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
All About Samgrades 4–6: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Spirit Seekergrades 6–8: Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Drive-Bygrades 3–8: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost in My Soupgrades 6–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
House Arrestgrades 6–9: Shares themes of family, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Jake and Lilygrades 3–6: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Lochgrades 3–8: Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Pinballsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of foster home care, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like A Family Apart for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Great White Man-Eating Shark by Margaret Mahy · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
Two bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like A Family Apart for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Who Needs a Bratty Brother? by Linda Gondosch · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
My Friend the Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg · grades 3–5 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
The Great White Man-Eating Shark by Margaret Mahy · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
Two bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like A Family Apart for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Blackwater by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Breakout by Kate Messner · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Breathe: A Ghost Story by Cliff McNish · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
City Spies by James Ponti · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like A Family Apart for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of family, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).
The Face at the Edge of the World by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1980s).

Common questions

What books are similar to A Family Apart?: The 10 closest matches to A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon on ReadingList include The Lemonade War, The Other Side of Dark, All About Sam, Spirit Seeker, and Drive-By. Each is scored on shared themes (family, fiction, family, juvenile literature, and foster home care), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like A Family Apart reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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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