What books are similar to Refugee?

The 10 closest matches to Refugee by Alan Gratz on ReadingList include Wonder, Inside Out & Back Again, Echo, Salt to the Sea, and The Wild Robot. Each is scored on shared themes (refugees, survival, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Refugee reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–9), 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.

Books like Refugee

If you liked Refugee, read Wonder, Inside Out & Back Again, or Echo — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

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 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 5–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Wonder790L: Shares themes of family and empathy, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+11 more shared lists), and a close reading level (790L vs 800L). Amazon →
Inside Out & Back Again800L: Shares themes of refugees, family, and displacement and a close reading level (800L vs 800L). Amazon →
Echo680L: Shares themes of family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon →
Salt to the Sea560L: Shares themes of refugees and survival, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon →
The Wild Robot740L: Shares themes of survival and family, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, and a close reading level (740L vs 800L). Amazon →
Bud, Not Buddy950L: Shares themes of family, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon →
A Night Dividedgrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon →
Code Name Kingfishergrades 4–8: Shares themes of survival and family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 800L). Amazon →
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912590L: Shares themes of survival and family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (590L vs 800L). Amazon →

Books like Refugee for younger readers (K–2)

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

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 800L).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (2–5).
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey · 730L — Shares themes of family and a close reading level (730L vs 800L).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of survival and family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of refugees and family, both on the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (820L vs 800L).
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 800L).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 800L).

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

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

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of survival and family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of refugees and family, both on the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+9 more shared lists), and a close reading level (810L vs 800L).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (820L vs 800L).
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 800L).

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

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

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Shares themes of survival, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+9 more shared lists), and a close reading level (810L vs 800L).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (590L vs 800L).
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–9).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–9).

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

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