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, Fig Pudding, Flying Solo, and Gone Crazy in Alabama. 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 Fig Pudding — 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 → books like this →
Drive-Bygrades 3–8: Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Fig Puddinggrades 3–5: Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Flying Sologrades 4–6: Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Gone Crazy in Alabamagrades 5–8: Is by Rita Williams-Garcia, the same author, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
One Crazy Summer750L: Is by Rita Williams-Garcia, the same author, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbyegrades 4–6: Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Alligator Suegrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Dress Codedgrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
My Dog, My Herogrades 3–5: Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Clayton Byrd Goes Underground 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 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (2010s).
Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (2010s).
Chalk by Bill Thomson · grades K–2 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (2010s).
Cookiesaurus Rex by Amy Fellner Dominy · grades K–0 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita · grades 3–5 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Verdi by Janell Cannon · grades 3–5 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman · grades 3–8 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards 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).

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

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

Blackwater by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grandfathers and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Perfect by Natasha Friend · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
So B. It by Sarah Weeks · grades 5–8 — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).

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.

A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Mississippi Trial, 1955 by Chris Crowe · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grandfathers and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Perfect by Natasha Friend · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

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, Fig Pudding, Flying Solo, and Gone Crazy in Alabama. 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.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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