What books are similar to Summer of Riley?

The 10 closest matches to Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting on ReadingList include Sharing Susan, Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things, Dogzilla, Guji Guji, and He Came With the Couch. Each is scored on shared themes (divorce, divorce in fiction, and oregon in fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Summer of Riley reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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 Summer of Riley

If you liked Summer of Riley, read Sharing Susan, Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things, or Dogzilla — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of divorce, divorce in fiction, and oregon in fiction. 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Sharing Susangrades 2–8: Is by Eve Bunting, the same author, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Thingsgrades 3–5: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Dogzillagrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Guji Gujigrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
He Came With the Couchgrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
Hooway for Wodney Watgrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
I Need My Monstergrades K–3: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3). Amazon → books like this →
John, Paul, George and Bengrades 3–5: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Losergrades 4–6: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Say What?grades 2–8: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Summer of Riley for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Soccer Mom From Outer Space by Barney Saltzberg · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like Summer of Riley for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Lemonade War by Davies, Jacqueline · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Soccer Mom From Outer Space by Barney Saltzberg · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (K–3).
The Thing About Leftovers by C.C. Payne · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of divorce, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Summer of Riley for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Blackwater by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Spying on Miss Müller by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Night Hoops by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of divorce and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Breathe: A Ghost Story by Cliff McNish · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
The Lemonade War by Davies, Jacqueline · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Summer of Riley for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Jumping the Nail by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
The Face at the Edge of the World by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of divorce, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Night Hoops by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of divorce and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Summer of Riley?: The 10 closest matches to Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting on ReadingList include Sharing Susan, Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things, Dogzilla, Guji Guji, and He Came With the Couch. Each is scored on shared themes (divorce, divorce in fiction, and oregon in fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Summer of Riley reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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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