What books are similar to Brooklyn?

The 10 closest matches to Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín on ReadingList include Torch, Antony and Cleopatra, The Book Thief, A Tale of Two Cities, and All We Have Left. Each is scored on shared themes (irish, women immigrants, and history), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Brooklyn reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–10), 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 Brooklyn

If you liked Brooklyn, read Torch, Antony and Cleopatra, or The Book Thief — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Torch by Lyn Miller-Lachmann — shares history

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Looking for books like Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín (Historical Fiction · grades 9–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of irish, women immigrants, and history. 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 9–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

Try it on audio — free. 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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Torchgrades 9–12: Shares themes of history, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Antony and Cleopatragrades 9–10: Both on the Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
The Book Thief730L: Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (8–11), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
A Tale of Two Cities1170L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
All We Have Leftgrades 9–12: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Master Harold...and the Boysgrades 9–10: Shares themes of social life and customs and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
Night Kitesgrades 9–12: Shares themes of social life and customs and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Private Peacefulgrades 9–12: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Salt to the Sea560L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Fountains of Silencegrades 9–12: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →