What books are similar to Fighting Words?

The 10 closest matches to Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley on ReadingList include The War That Saved My Life, A Plate of Hope, Black Girl You Are Atlas, Chinese Menu, and Clap When You Land. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Fighting Words reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–10), 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 Fighting Words

If you liked Fighting Words, read The War That Saved My Life, A Plate of Hope, or Black Girl You Are Atlas — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Children's · grades 3–10)? 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 3–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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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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The War That Saved My Life580L: Is by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, the same author, both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
A Plate of Hopegrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Black Girl You Are Atlasgrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Chinese Menugrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Clap When You Landgrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Demon in the Wood Graphic Novelgrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Du Iz Tak?grades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Girls Like Hergrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
How the Boogeyman Became a Poetgrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
I Talk Like a Rivergrades K–5: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (K–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Fighting Words for younger readers (K–2)

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

All Because You Matter (An All Because You Matter Book) by Tami Charles · grades K–5 — Same genre (Children's), overlapping grades (K–5), and the same era (2020s).
Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy · grades K–5 — Same genre (Children's), overlapping grades (K–5), and the same era (2020s).
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho · grades K–5 — Same genre (Children's), overlapping grades (K–5), and the same era (2020s).
Fly by Brittany J. Thurman · grades K–5 — Same genre (Children's), overlapping grades (K–5), and the same era (2020s).
I Know How to Draw an Owl by Hilary Horder Hippely · grades K–5 — Same genre (Children's), overlapping grades (K–5), and the same era (2020s).

Books like Fighting Words for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Kent State by Deborah Wiles · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Legendary Frybread Drive-In by Cynthia Leitich Smith · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Mexikid by Pedro Martín · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).

Books like Fighting Words for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Kent State by Deborah Wiles · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Legendary Frybread Drive-In by Cynthia Leitich Smith · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Mexikid by Pedro Martín · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).

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

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

Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Kent State by Deborah Wiles · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Legendary Frybread Drive-In by Cynthia Leitich Smith · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Mexikid by Pedro Martín · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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