Books like Refugee
Looking for books like Refugee by Alan Gratz (Historical Fiction · 800L · grades 5–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of refugees, survival, and family. 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 5–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Refugee
Inside Out & Back AgainThanhha Lai · 800L
Salt to the SeaRuta Sepetys · 560L
WonderR.J. Palacio · 790L
DragonwingsLaurence Yep · 870L
A Long Walk to WaterLinda Sue Park · 720L
Bud, Not BuddyChristopher Paul Curtis · 950L
The Poet XElizabeth Acevedo · 800L
The CrossoverKwame Alexander · 750L
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963Christopher Paul Curtis · 1000L
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMHRobert C. O'Brien · 790L
Why each is a match
- Inside Out & Back Again800L
- Shares themes of refugees, family, and displacement and a close reading level (800L vs 800L).
- Salt to the Sea560L
- Shares themes of refugees and survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (560L vs 800L).
- Wonder790L
- Shares themes of family and empathy and a close reading level (790L vs 800L).
- Dragonwings870L
- Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (870L vs 800L).
- A Long Walk to Water720L
- Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 800L).
- Bud, Not Buddy950L
- Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (950L vs 800L).
- The Poet X800L
- Shares themes of family and a close reading level (800L vs 800L).
- The Crossover750L
- Shares themes of family and a close reading level (750L vs 800L).
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham—19631000L
- Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (1000L vs 800L).
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L
- Shares themes of family and a close reading level (790L vs 800L).