Books like Faking Normal

If you liked Faking Normal, read I am the Weapon, I Hunt Killers, or Paul, Big, and Small — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of secrets, secrecy, and teenagers. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Faking Normal

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Why each is a match

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I am the Weapongrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
I Hunt Killersgrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Paul, Big, and Smallgrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Roomgrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Stuck in Neutralgrades 7–10
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
The Sun is Also a Stargrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Five Survivegrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
I Must Betray Yougrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Impulsegrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Brimstone Journalsgrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Faking Normal for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Amos & Boris by William Steig · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Chalk by Bill Thomson · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Cookiesaurus Rex by Amy Fellner Dominy · grades K–0 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Dogku by Andrew Clements · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry · grades K–0 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Faking Normal for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Amos & Boris by William Steig · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Duke by Kirby Larson · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Poppleton in Winter by Cynthia Rylant · grades 2–3 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Faking Normal for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Hot and Cold Summer by Johanna Hurwitz · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • The Thing About Leftovers by C.C. Payne · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

  • The Lovely Bones: A Novel by Alice Sebold · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (11–12), and the same era (2010s).
  • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (11–12), and the same era (2010s).
  • Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
  • Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Faking Normal?
The 10 closest matches to Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens on ReadingList include I am the Weapon, I Hunt Killers, Paul, Big, and Small, Room, and Stuck in Neutral. Each is scored on shared themes (secrets, secrecy, and teenagers), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Faking Normal reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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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