What books are similar to The Girls I've Been?

The 10 closest matches to The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe on ReadingList include A Door Near Here, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, If You Come Softly, and Izzy, Willy-Nilly. Each is scored on shared themes, 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 The Girls I've Been 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.

Books like The Girls I've Been

If you liked The Girls I've Been, read A Door Near Here, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, or Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? 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.

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Why each is a match

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A Door Near Heregrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soulgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Dash & Lily’s Book of Daresgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
If You Come Softlygrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Izzy, Willy-Nillygrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Jumping the Nailgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Just Like Martingrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Learning to Swear in Americagrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
My Sister's Keepergrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Say Goodnight, Graciegrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Girls I've Been for younger readers (K–2)

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

Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Girls I've Been for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
City Spies by James Ponti · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look · grades 3–5 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Girls I've Been for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

City Spies by James Ponti · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
A Family Apart by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Blackwater by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Breakout by Kate Messner · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Girls I've Been for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Tears of A Tiger by Sharon M. Draper · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The China Garden by Liz Berry · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Face at the Edge of the World by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The House Next Door by Richie Tankersley Cusick · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream by Davis Sampson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Girls I've Been?: The 10 closest matches to The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe on ReadingList include A Door Near Here, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, If You Come Softly, and Izzy, Willy-Nilly. Each is scored on shared themes, 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 The Girls I've Been 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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