Books like African Town
If you liked African Town, read A Sea of Lemon Trees, All He Knew, or Finding Langston — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Looking for books like African Town by Irene Latham? 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 7–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to African Town
- A Sea of Lemon TreesMaría Dolores Águila
- All He KnewHelen Frost
- Finding LangstonLesa Cline-Ransome
- Ophie's GhostsJustina Ireland
- The Color of a LieKim Johnson
- Behave Yourself, Bethany BrantPatricia Beatty
- Beyond the Bright SeaLauren Wolk
- Bull RunPaul Fleischman
- Butterfly YellowThanhhà Lại
ChainsLaurie Halse Anderson · 780L
Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.
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Why each is a match
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- A Sea of Lemon Treesgrades 5–8
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon →
- All He Knewgrades 5–8
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2020s). Amazon →
- Finding Langstongrades 4–7
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2020s). Amazon →
- Ophie's Ghostsgrades 4–7
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2020s). Amazon →
- The Color of a Liegrades 9–12
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon →
- Behave Yourself, Bethany Brantgrades 5–8
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
- Beyond the Bright Seagrades 5–8
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
- Bull Rungrades 5–8
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
- Butterfly Yellowgrades 9–12
- Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon →
Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.