What books are similar to As Brave As You?

The 10 closest matches to As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds on ReadingList include Ghost, Long Way Down, A Dog Called Homeless, After Ever After, and Anything But Typical. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like As Brave As You reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 As Brave As You

If you liked As Brave As You, read Ghost, Long Way Down, or A Dog Called Homeless — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds? 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Ghost730L: Is by Jason Reynolds, the same author, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Long Way Down720L: Is by Jason Reynolds, the same author, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
A Dog Called Homelessgrades 3–6: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
After Ever Aftergrades 5–8: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Anything But Typicalgrades 5–8: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Becoming Naomi Leon (Scholastic Gold)grades 4–7: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Close to Famousgrades 4–7: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Cursedgrades 7–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Handbook for Dragon Slayersgrades 4–7: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like As Brave As You for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Song for A Whale by Lynne Kelly · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 580L — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Una niña llamada Rose / Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor · grades 5–8 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like As Brave As You for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby · grades 7–10 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).
Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Small Steps by Louis Sachar · grades 6–9 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).

Books like As Brave As You for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro · grades 9–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John · grades 8–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles · grades 9–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2010s).
Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby · grades 7–10 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork · grades 9–12 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to As Brave As You?: The 10 closest matches to As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds on ReadingList include Ghost, Long Way Down, A Dog Called Homeless, After Ever After, and Anything But Typical. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like As Brave As You reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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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