What books are similar to Ghost?

The 10 closest matches to Ghost by Jason Reynolds on ReadingList include Ghost Boys, Restart, The Crossover, Walk Two Moons, and The Poet X. Each is scored on shared themes (running, family violence, and mentorship), 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 Ghost 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.

Books like Ghost

If you liked Ghost, read Ghost Boys, Restart, or The Crossover — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Ghost by Jason Reynolds (Realistic Fiction · 730L · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of running, family violence, and mentorship. 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.

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Why each is a match

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Ghost Boys360L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Restart730L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and a close reading level (730L vs 730L). Amazon →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 730L). Amazon →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
The Poet X800L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (800L vs 730L). Amazon →
Black Brother, Black Brothergrades 5–8: Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
So B. Itgrades 5–8: Shares themes of identity, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon →
Hoot760L: Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and a close reading level (760L vs 730L). Amazon →
Save Me a Seat780L: Shares themes of identity, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and a close reading level (780L vs 730L). Amazon →
Front Desk640L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and a close reading level (640L vs 730L). Amazon →

Books like Ghost for younger readers (K–2)

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

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Ghost for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin · 750L — Shares themes of identity and teamwork and a close reading level (750L vs 730L).
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman · 820L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (820L vs 730L).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (880L vs 730L).
Avalon High by Meg Cabot · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of identity, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park · grades 5–8 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like Ghost for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin · 750L — Shares themes of identity and teamwork and a close reading level (750L vs 730L).
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman · 820L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (820L vs 730L).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (880L vs 730L).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (8–12).
Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park · grades 5–8 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).

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

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

Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (8–12).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10).
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan Reading Association) list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (720L vs 730L), and the same era (2010s).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (800L vs 730L), and the same era (2010s).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (850L vs 730L), and the same era (2010s).

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

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