Books like The Blackbird Girls

If you liked The Blackbird Girls, read Dogtag Summer, Each Kindness, or Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of europe, history, 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 6–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Blackbird Girls

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Why each is a match

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Dogtag Summergrades 6–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Each Kindnessgrades 3–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Kellergrades 3–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Lily and Dunkingrades 6–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrisegrades 5–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Across the Desertgrades 3–6
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
All About Samgrades 4–6
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoongrades 3–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Boxes for Katjegrades 3–8
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Travelergrades 3–6
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Blackbird Girls for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Drawn Together by Minh Le · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Poor Louie by Tony Fucile · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Press Here by Hervé Tullet · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Blackbird Girls for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Drawn Together by Minh Le · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Poor Louie by Tony Fucile · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • Press Here by Hervé Tullet · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Blackbird Girls for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • December Stillness by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 6–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Harry's Mad by Dick King-Smith · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson · grades 6–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8).

Books like The Blackbird Girls for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
  • A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • After by Francine Prose · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Blackbird Girls?
The 10 closest matches to The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman on ReadingList include Dogtag Summer, Each Kindness, Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller, Lily and Dunkin, and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. Each is scored on shared themes (europe, history, fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Blackbird Girls reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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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