What books are similar to When?

The 10 closest matches to When by Laurie McBain on ReadingList include A Night Divided, Allies, Good Night, Mr. Tom, My Horrible Secret, and The Devil's Arithmetic. Each is scored on shared themes (american west, antebellum south, and brothers), 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 When 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.

Books like When

If you liked When, read A Night Divided, Allies, or Good Night, Mr. Tom — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like When by Laurie McBain (Historical Fiction · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of american west, antebellum south, and brothers. 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.

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Why each is a match

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A Night Dividedgrades 5–8: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Alliesgrades 5–9: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Good Night, Mr. Tomgrades 6–8: Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
My Horrible Secretgrades 4–6: Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Devil's Arithmetic730L: Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
The Fighting Groundgrades 4–8: Same genre (Historical Fiction), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
When the Boys Ran the Housegrades 3–6: Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
12 Againgrades 6–8: Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
A Corner of the Universegrades 5–8: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
A Long Walk to Water720L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like When for younger readers (K–2)

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

Don’t Touch My Room by Patricia Lakin · grades K–3 — Shares themes of brothers.
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
Tangerine by Edward Bloor · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Araboolies of Liberty Street by Sam Swope · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (1980s).

Books like When for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Don’t Touch My Room by Patricia Lakin · grades K–3 — Shares themes of brothers.
7 X 9 = Trouble by Claudia Mills · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of brothers.
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).
Athlete vs. Mathlete by W. C. Mack · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of brothers.
Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like When for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).
Barbed Wire Baseball by Marissa Moss · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).
Between Two Brothers by Crystal Allen · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (4–8).
Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (6–8).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like When for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers and both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list.
A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers.
Night Kites by M. E. Kerr · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens · 1170L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to When?: The 10 closest matches to When by Laurie McBain on ReadingList include A Night Divided, Allies, Good Night, Mr. Tom, My Horrible Secret, and The Devil's Arithmetic. Each is scored on shared themes (american west, antebellum south, and brothers), 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 When 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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