What books are similar to Backlash?

The 10 closest matches to Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman on ReadingList include Saving Zasha, The Fourteenth Goldfish, 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents, All About Sam, and Attaboy, Sam!. Each is scored on shared themes (neighbors, suicide, and family life), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Backlash reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 Backlash

If you liked Backlash, read Saving Zasha, The Fourteenth Goldfish, or 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of neighbors, suicide, and family life. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Saving Zashagrades 3–8: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Fourteenth Goldfishgrades 4–6: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
101 Ways to Bug Your Parentsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
All About Samgrades 4–6: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Attaboy, Sam!grades 4–6: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Piegrades 6–9: Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon →
Hostagegrades 3–8: Shares themes of neighbors, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Ida B. and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the Worldgrades 2–8: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon →
Losergrades 4–6: Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8: Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →

Books like Backlash for younger readers (K–2)

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

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Backlash for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Pie by Sarah Weeks · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of family life, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Striped Ice Cream by Joan M. Lexau · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Backlash for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
Pie by Sarah Weeks · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of family life, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8).
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Backlash for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli · grades 6–9 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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