Books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Looking for books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Young Adult / Semi-autobiographical Fiction · 600L · grades 7–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of Native American identity, poverty, and racism. 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 7–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Why each is a match

The Color Purple670L
Shares themes of poverty and racism and a close reading level (670L vs 600L).
American Born Chinese530L
Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (530L vs 600L).
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—19631000L
Shares themes of racism and coming of age and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Hate U Give590L
Shares themes of code-switching and a close reading level (590L vs 600L).
Where the Red Fern Grows700L
Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (700L vs 600L).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower720L
Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (720L vs 600L).
The Graveyard Book820L
Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (820L vs 600L).
The Secret Life of Bees840L
Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (840L vs 600L).
A Single Shard920L
Shares themes of poverty and overlapping grades (5–8).
Purple Hibiscus920L
Shares themes of coming of age and overlapping grades (10–12).

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