What books are similar to Clayton Byrd Goes Underground?

The 10 closest matches to Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia on ReadingList include The Fourteenth Goldfish, Drive-By, Flying Solo, You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye, and Alligator Sue. Each is scored on shared themes (death, grandparent and child, and bereavement), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Clayton Byrd Goes Underground reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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 Clayton Byrd Goes Underground

If you liked Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, read The Fourteenth Goldfish, Drive-By, or Flying Solo — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of death, grandparent and child, and bereavement. 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Fourteenth Goldfishgrades 4–6: Shares themes of grandfathers, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Drive-Bygrades 3–8: Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
Flying Sologrades 4–6: Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbyegrades 4–6: Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon →
Alligator Suegrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
Dress Codedgrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
My Dog, My Herogrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
Secrets of My Hollywood Lifegrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →
So B. Itgrades 5–8: Both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Verdigrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon →

Books like Clayton Byrd Goes Underground 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 Clayton Byrd Goes Underground for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman · grades 3–8 — Both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s).
A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of grandparent and child and overlapping grades (3–8).
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Clayton Byrd Goes Underground for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman · grades 3–8 — Both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of grandparent and child and overlapping grades (3–8).
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s).
Ava and Pip by Carol Weston · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Clayton Byrd Goes Underground for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) 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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