Books like Inside Out & Back Again

Looking for books like Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (Middle Grade Verse Novel / Historical Fiction · 800L · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of immigration, refugees, and resilience. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Inside Out & Back Again

Why each is a match

Refugee800L
Shares themes of refugees, family, and displacement and a close reading level (800L vs 800L).
Dragonwings870L
Shares themes of immigration and family and a close reading level (870L vs 800L).
The War That Saved My Life580L
Shares themes of resilience and family and a close reading level (580L vs 800L).
The Poet X800L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (800L vs 800L).
Wonder790L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (790L vs 800L).
Rebound780L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (780L vs 800L).
I Am Malala (Young Readers Edition)830L
Shares themes of resilience and a close reading level (830L vs 800L).
One Crazy Summer750L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (750L vs 800L).
The Crossover750L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (750L vs 800L).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (790L vs 800L).

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