Books like Something Like Home

If you liked Something Like Home, read Bud, Not Buddy, Other Words for Home, or The Crossover — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango (Verse Novel · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, identity, and perseverance. 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 6–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Something Like Home

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Why each is a match

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Bud, Not Buddy950L
Shares themes of family, identity, and perseverance and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Other Words for Home930L
Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
The Crossover750L
Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
The Last Hope in Hopetowngrades 6–8
Shares themes of family and identity, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon →
A Work in Progressgrades 4–8
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Bookedgrades 5–8
Shares themes of family, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon →
Boy 2.0grades 4–8
Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon →
Brick Dust and Bonesgrades 6–8
Shares themes of family and perseverance and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon →
Control Freaksgrades 6–8
Shares themes of identity and perseverance and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon →
Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knightgrades 3–6
Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →

Books like Something Like Home for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Shares themes of identity and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
  • How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide by Ame Dyckman · grades K–2 — Shares themes of family and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
  • How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias · grades K–2 — Shares themes of identity and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
  • Night in the City by Julie Downing · grades K–2 — Shares themes of family and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
  • Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Shares themes of perseverance and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.

Books like Something Like Home for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliott · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of family and perseverance and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
  • Curveball by Pablo Cartaya · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of family and perseverance.
  • Growing Home by Beth Ferry · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of family and perseverance.
  • In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Something Like Home for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Louder Than Hunger by John Schu · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (7–12).

Books like Something Like Home for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • Louder Than Hunger by John Schu · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family and identity and overlapping grades (6–9).

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

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