Books like Five Survive

If you liked Five Survive, read Room, Check & Mate, or Good Girl's Guide to Murder — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Five Survive by Holly Jackson (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of new york times bestseller. 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 Five Survive

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Why each is a match

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Roomgrades 9–12
Shares themes of new york times bestseller, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Check & Mategrades 9–12
Shares themes of new york times bestseller, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Good Girl's Guide to Murdergrades 9–12
Is by Holly Jackson, the same author, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, 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 →
Not Quite Dead Yetgrades 7–12
Is by Holly Jackson, the same author, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Faking Normalgrades 9–12
Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
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 →
Impulsegrades 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 →

Books like Five Survive for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Chez Bob by Bob Shea · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
  • Find Fergus by Mike Boldt · grades K–0 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
  • I'm Terrified of Bath Time by Simon Rich · grades K–0 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
  • Ploof by Ben Clanton · grades K–0 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
  • Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton · grades K–3 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Five Survive for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
  • Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton · grades K–3 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Albert by Donna Jo Napoli · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Avalon High by Meg Cabot · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Basket by George Ella Lyon · grades K–3 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Five Survive for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
  • Bob and Jack: A Boy and His Yak by Jeffrey Moss · grades 4–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Christopher Changes His Name by Itah Sadu · grades 4–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Rules by Cynthia Lord · grades 4–7 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Five Survive for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
  • The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • 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).
  • The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Twilight by Stephenie Meyer · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Five Survive?
The 10 closest matches to Five Survive by Holly Jackson on ReadingList include Room, Check & Mate, Good Girl's Guide to Murder, I Must Betray You, and Not Quite Dead Yet. Each is scored on shared themes (new york times bestseller), 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 Five Survive 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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