What books are similar to Breakout?

The 10 closest matches to Breakout by Kate Messner on ReadingList include Front Desk, Ghost, Planet Earth Is Blue, Prisoner B-3087, and A Family Apart. Each is scored on shared themes (time capsules, community life, and prisons), 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 Breakout 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 Breakout

If you liked Breakout, read Front Desk, Ghost, or Planet Earth Is Blue — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Breakout by Kate Messner (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of time capsules, community life, and prisons. 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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Front Desk640L: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Planet Earth Is Bluegrades 6–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Prisoner B-3087grades 3–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
A Family Apartgrades 6–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Blackwatergrades 6–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Breathe: A Ghost Storygrades 6–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
City Spiesgrades 4–6: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). 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 →
Invisiblegrades 4–6: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Breakout for younger readers (K–2)

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

Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Lion vs. Rabbit by Alex Latimer · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight · grades 3–5 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements · grades 3–5 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Loser by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 2–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Lemonade War by Davies, Jacqueline · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

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

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

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream by Davis Sampson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Breakout?: The 10 closest matches to Breakout by Kate Messner on ReadingList include Front Desk, Ghost, Planet Earth Is Blue, Prisoner B-3087, and A Family Apart. Each is scored on shared themes (time capsules, community life, and prisons), 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 Breakout 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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