Books like Genesis Begins Again

If you liked Genesis Begins Again, read Mid-Air, Ghost, or Ghost Boys — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams

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Looking for books like Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams (Realistic Fiction · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of colorism, self-worth, and identity. 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Genesis Begins Again

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Why each is a match

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Mid-Airgrades 5–8
Is by Alicia D. Williams, the same author and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost Boys360L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Save Me a Seat780L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Between Shades Of Graygrades 4–9
Both on the William C. Morris YA Debut Award list, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Black Brother, Black Brothergrades 5–8
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Blubbergrades 4–7
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life890L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ruby Lost and Foundgrades 6–9
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
So B. Itgrades 5–8
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →

More like this

Same grade band, chosen by theme and by how many reading lists carry them. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

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Common questions

What books are similar to Genesis Begins Again?
The 10 closest matches to Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams on ReadingList include Mid-Air, Ghost, Ghost Boys, Save Me a Seat, and Between Shades Of Gray. Each is scored on shared themes (colorism, self-worth, and identity), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Genesis Begins Again reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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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