Books like Forever Is Now
If you liked Forever Is Now, read Chronically Dolores, The Words in My Hands, or The Words We Keep — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Looking for books like Forever Is Now by Mariama J. Lockington? 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 8–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Forever Is Now
Chronically DoloresMaya Van Wagenen
The Words in My HandsAsphyxia
The Words We KeepErin Stewart
This Is My Brain in LoveI. W. Gregorio
A Mango-Shaped SpaceWendy Mass
After Ever AfterJordan Sonnenblick
Anger Is a GiftMark Oshiro
Anything But TypicalNora Raleigh Baskin
CursedKarol Ruth Silverstein
Five Flavors of DumbAntony John
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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- Chronically Doloresgrades 8–12
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Words in My Handsgrades 8–12
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Words We Keepgrades 8–12
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
- This Is My Brain in Lovegrades 9–12
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
- A Mango-Shaped Spacegrades 5–8
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
- After Ever Aftergrades 5–8
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Anger Is a Giftgrades 9–12
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Anything But Typicalgrades 5–8
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Cursedgrades 7–12
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Five Flavors of Dumbgrades 8–12
- Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
Books like Forever Is Now for elementary readers (grades 3–5)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.
- A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
- Popcorn: A hilarious and moving story about coping with anxiety by Rob Harrell · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
- Show Me a Sign (Show Me a Sign, Book 1) by Ann Clare LeZotte · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
- The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
- The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Books like Forever Is Now for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
- Popcorn: A hilarious and moving story about coping with anxiety by Rob Harrell · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
- Show Me a Sign (Show Me a Sign, Book 1) by Ann Clare LeZotte · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
- The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
- The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Common questions
- What books are similar to Forever Is Now?
- The 10 closest matches to Forever Is Now by Mariama J. Lockington on ReadingList include Chronically Dolores, The Words in My Hands, The Words We Keep, This Is My Brain in Love, and A Mango-Shaped Space. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 8–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like Forever Is Now reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 8–12), 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.