What books are similar to When We Were Birds?

The 10 closest matches to When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo on ReadingList include A Taste of Honey, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Check & Mate, Fire on the Mountain, and Five Survive. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like When We Were Birds reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–10), 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 We Were Birds

If you liked When We Were Birds, read A Taste of Honey, Blues for an Alabama Sky, or Check & Mate — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–10)? 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 9–10 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 Taste of Honeygrades 9–10: Both on the Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
Blues for an Alabama Skygrades 9–10: Both on the Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
Check & Mategrades 9–12: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Fire on the Mountaingrades 9–10: Both on the Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
Five Survivegrades 9–12: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
I Must Betray Yougrades 9–12: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
I'm the King of the Castlegrades 9–10: Both on the Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
Instructions for Dancinggrades 9–12: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Princess & the Hustlergrades 9–10: Both on the Cambridge IGCSE English Literature (0475) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
Ruby Lost and Foundgrades 6–9: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like When We Were Birds for younger readers (K–2)

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

¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Chez Bob by Bob Shea · grades K–2 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).

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

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

¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Again by Emily Gravett · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity by Dave Roman · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).

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

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

¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity by Dave Roman · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Attack of the Black Rectangles by A. S. King · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).
Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).

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

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

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2020s).
The Yield by Tara June Winch · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to When We Were Birds?: The 10 closest matches to When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo on ReadingList include A Taste of Honey, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Check & Mate, Fire on the Mountain, and Five Survive. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like When We Were Birds reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–10), 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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