Books like Between Two Brothers

If you liked Between Two Brothers, read The Labors of Hercules Beal, Boy 2.0, or Mid-Air — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Between Two Brothers by Crystal Allen (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, brothers, and grief. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Between Two Brothers

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Why each is a match

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The Labors of Hercules Bealgrades 3–7
Shares themes of family and grief, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Boy 2.0grades 4–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Mid-Airgrades 5–8
Shares themes of grief, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Old Yellergrades 5–8
Shares themes of family and grief, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Puzzleheartgrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
The Partition Projectgrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
The Wrong Way Homegrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Wildfulgrades 4–8
Shares themes of family and grief, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Wonder790L
Shares themes of family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →

Books like Between Two Brothers for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family and grief.
  • The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–4).
  • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide by Ame Dyckman · grades K–2 — Shares themes of family.

Books like Between Two Brothers for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Countdown to Yesterday by Shirley Marr · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family and grief.
  • Duel by Jessixa Bagley · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Fowl Play by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Between Two Brothers for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Countdown to Yesterday by Shirley Marr · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Duel by Jessixa Bagley · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Fowl Play by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like Between Two Brothers for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family and hope and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family and grief and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and overlapping grades (7–12).

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

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