Books like Shadow of the Dragon

If you liked Shadow of the Dragon, read If You Come Softly, A Taste of Honey, or Armageddon Summer — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Shadow of the Dragon by Sherry Garland (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of gangs, vietnamese americans, and family life. 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.

10 books similar to Shadow of the Dragon

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Why each is a match

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If You Come Softlygrades 9–12
Shares themes of family life and interracial dating, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
A Taste of Honeygrades 9–10
Shares themes of interracial dating, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
Armageddon Summergrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Badgrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Breaking Boxesgrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Ironmangrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Perfect Chemistrygrades 9–12
Shares themes of gangs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Roomgrades 9–12
Shares themes of family life, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnesgrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Only Alien on the Planetgrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Shadow of the Dragon for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Poor Louie by Tony Fucile · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family life, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Don't Fidget a Feather! by Erica Silverman · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Guji Guji by Chen, Zhiyuan · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Books like Shadow of the Dragon for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Poor Louie by Tony Fucile · grades K–3 — Shares themes of family life, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents by Lee Wardlaw · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Drive-By by Lynne Ewing · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of gangs and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Shadow of the Dragon for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents by Lee Wardlaw · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Drive-By by Lynne Ewing · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of gangs and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of family life and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Shadow of the Dragon for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Shadow of the Dragon?
The 10 closest matches to Shadow of the Dragon by Sherry Garland on ReadingList include If You Come Softly, A Taste of Honey, Armageddon Summer, Bad, and Breaking Boxes. Each is scored on shared themes (gangs, vietnamese americans, and family life), 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 Shadow of the Dragon 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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