Books like Perfect

If you liked Perfect, read Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, Dear Mr. Henshaw, or Drive-By — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Perfect by Natasha Friend (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of grief, death, and bulimia. 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 6–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Perfect

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Why each is a match

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Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphreygrades 6–9
Shares themes of fathers and daughters, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6
Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Drive-Bygrades 3–8
Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Flying Sologrades 4–6
Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
High Heatgrades 6–9
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Hope in the Valleygrades 3–6
Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Losergrades 4–6
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Mick Harte Was Heregrades 5–8
Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mississippi Trial, 1955grades 6–9
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Night Hoopsgrades 6–9
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Perfect for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Bedhead by Margie Palatini · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School by Judy Sierra · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Titanicat by Marty Crisp · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

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

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

  • Bedhead by Margie Palatini · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
  • Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

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

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

  • Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Spying on Miss Müller by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of fathers and daughters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • The Compound by S. A. Bodeen · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).

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

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

  • As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grief, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • The Compound by S. A. Bodeen · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • Danger Zone by David Klass · grades 6–9 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Perfect?
The 10 closest matches to Perfect by Natasha Friend on ReadingList include Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Drive-By, Flying Solo, and High Heat. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, death, and bulimia), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Perfect reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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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