What books are similar to Under the Blood-Red Sun?

The 10 closest matches to Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury on ReadingList include Lord of the Deep, Because of Winn-Dixie, Boy at War, Bunnicula, and Chains. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Under the Blood-Red Sun reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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.

Books like Under the Blood-Red Sun

If you liked Under the Blood-Red Sun, read Lord of the Deep, Because of Winn-Dixie, or Boy at War — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury? 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Lord of the Deepgrades 4–9: Is by Graham Salisbury, the same author, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Boy at Wargrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Bunniculagrades 3–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Chains780L: Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Double Fudgegrades 4–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Eragongrades 6–9: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Nothing's Fair in Fifth Gradegrades 3–6: Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Shades of Graygrades 4–7: Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
The Art of Keeping Coolgrades 5–8: Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Under the Blood-Red Sun for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich · grades 4–7 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s).
The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages · grades 5–8 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s).
The Lemonade War by Davies, Jacqueline · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s).
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan · 740L — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s).
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Under the Blood-Red Sun for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Bomb by Theodore Taylor · grades 7–10 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2000s).
The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich · grades 4–7 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s).
The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages · grades 5–8 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s).
The Land by Mildred D. Taylor · grades 7–12 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2000s).
The Lemonade War by Davies, Jacqueline · grades 4–6 — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Under the Blood-Red Sun for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Bomb by Theodore Taylor · grades 7–10 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2000s).
The Land by Mildred D. Taylor · grades 7–12 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2000s).
The River Between Us by Richard Peck · grades 7–12 — Both on the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Under the Blood-Red Sun?: The 10 closest matches to Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury on ReadingList include Lord of the Deep, Because of Winn-Dixie, Boy at War, Bunnicula, and Chains. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Under the Blood-Red Sun reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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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