Books like Onyx & Beyond

If you liked Onyx & Beyond, read The One and Only Ruby, Countdown to Yesterday, or Old Yeller — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, memory, and love. 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 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Onyx & Beyond

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Why each is a match

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The One and Only Rubygrades 2–5
Shares themes of family and memory, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon →
Countdown to Yesterdaygrades 3–6
Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Old Yellergrades 5–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Ramona the Pest750L
Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Rascalgrades 5–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7
Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing470L
Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon →
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Boy 2.0grades 4–8
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Jawbreakergrades 3–7
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →

Books like Onyx & Beyond for younger readers (K–2)

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

Books like Onyx & Beyond for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Operation Final Notice by Matthew Landis · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Rewind by Lisa Graff · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like Onyx & Beyond for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and love.
  • Operation Final Notice by Matthew Landis · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Rewind by Lisa Graff · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

  • Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and love.
  • The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of family and memory.
  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family and both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list.
  • A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of love.

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

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