What books are similar to We All Fall Down?

The 10 closest matches to We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier on ReadingList include The Late Great Me, A Door Near Here, Armageddon Summer, Bad, and Breaking Boxes. Each is scored on shared themes (alcoholism, alcoholism in fiction, and revenge), 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 We All Fall Down 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 We All Fall Down

If you liked We All Fall Down, read The Late Great Me, A Door Near Here, or Armageddon Summer — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of alcoholism, alcoholism in fiction, and revenge. 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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The Late Great Megrades 9–12: Shares themes of alcoholism, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
A Door Near Heregrades 9–12: Shares themes of alcoholism, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Armageddon Summergrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Badgrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Breaking Boxesgrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Ironmangrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Shadow of the Dragongrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnesgrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Only Alien on the Planetgrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Silver Kissgrades 9–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like We All Fall Down for younger readers (K–2)

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

Don't Fidget a Feather! by Erica Silverman · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Livingstone Mouse by Pamela Duncan Edwards · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Books like We All Fall Down for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Don't Fidget a Feather! by Erica Silverman · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
High-Wire Henry by Mary Calhoun · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Livingstone Mouse by Pamela Duncan Edwards · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Books like We All Fall Down for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos · grades 6–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Stonewords: A Ghost Story by Pam Conrad · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman · grades 3–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
All About Sam by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like We All Fall Down for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
After by Francine Prose · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to We All Fall Down?: The 10 closest matches to We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier on ReadingList include The Late Great Me, A Door Near Here, Armageddon Summer, Bad, and Breaking Boxes. Each is scored on shared themes (alcoholism, alcoholism in fiction, and revenge), 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 We All Fall Down 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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