Books like Yellow Star

If you liked Yellow Star, read Each Little Bird That Sings, Dovey Coe, or Loser — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of holocaust, world war 2, and jews, fiction. 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.

10 books similar to Yellow Star

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Why each is a match

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Each Little Bird That Singsgrades 3–6
Shares themes of family life, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Dovey Coegrades 6–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Losergrades 4–6
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Ramona's Worldgrades 4–6
Shares themes of family life, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
So B. Itgrades 5–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Striped Ice Creamgrades 4–6
Shares themes of family life, fiction, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Surviving the Applewhitesgrades 5–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Airball: My Life in Briefsgrades 6–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Brighty of the Grand Canyongrades 4–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Bristle Facegrades 4–8
Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Yellow Star for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
  • Arrowhawk by Lola M. Schaefer · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
  • Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
  • Bedhead by Margie Palatini · grades K–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
  • Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman · grades 2–3 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).

Books like Yellow Star for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Daphne's Book by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Flaming Arrows by William O. Steele · grades 4–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes · 360L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Harry Cat's Pet Puppy by George Selden · grades 4–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Yellow Star for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Daphne's Book by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Flaming Arrows by William O. Steele · grades 4–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).
  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes · 360L — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Harry Cat's Pet Puppy by George Selden · grades 4–8 — Both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

  • Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of family life, fiction and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • After by Francine Prose · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
  • Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
  • Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).
  • Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Yellow Star?
The 10 closest matches to Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy on ReadingList include Each Little Bird That Sings, Dovey Coe, Loser, Ramona's World, and So B. It. Each is scored on shared themes (holocaust, world war 2, and jews, fiction), 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 Yellow Star 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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