What books are similar to Patron Saints of Nothing?

The 10 closest matches to Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay on ReadingList include House Arrest, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, Everything, Everything, The Sun is Also a Star, and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Each is scored on shared themes (murder, fiction, family life, fiction, and family, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Patron Saints of Nothing reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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.

Books like Patron Saints of Nothing

If you liked Patron Saints of Nothing, read House Arrest, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, or Everything, Everything — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of murder, fiction, family life, fiction, and family, fiction. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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House Arrestgrades 6–9: Shares themes of family, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Piegrades 6–9: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Everything, Everythinggrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Sun is Also a Stargrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Those Who Wish Me Deadgrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Check & Mategrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Dairy Queengrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Everything We Never Hadgrades 7–12: Is by Randy Ribay, the same author and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
I Must Betray Yougrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
My Sister's Keepergrades 9–12: Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Patron Saints of Nothing for younger readers (K–2)

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

Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Dandy by Ame Dyckman · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Patron Saints of Nothing for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Aliens Are Coming! by Megan McCarthy · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Dandy by Ame Dyckman · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Patron Saints of Nothing for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Aliens Are Coming! by Megan McCarthy · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen · grades 6–8 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Patron Saints of Nothing for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (11–12), and the same era (2010s).
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (11–12), and the same era (2010s).
Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Patron Saints of Nothing?: The 10 closest matches to Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay on ReadingList include House Arrest, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, Everything, Everything, The Sun is Also a Star, and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Each is scored on shared themes (murder, fiction, family life, fiction, and family, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Patron Saints of Nothing reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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.

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