What books are similar to A Work in Progress?

The 10 closest matches to A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner on ReadingList include Louder Than Hunger, Other Words for Home, Good Different, Parachute Kids, and In the Beautiful Country. Each is scored on shared themes (mental health, identity, and resilience), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like A Work in Progress reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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 A Work in Progress

If you liked A Work in Progress, read Louder Than Hunger, Other Words for Home, or Good Different — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Louder Than Hunger by John Schu — shares mental health and identity

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Looking for books like A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner (Verse Novel · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of mental health, identity, and resilience. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Louder Than Hungergrades 7–12: Shares themes of mental health, identity, and resilience, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Other Words for Home930L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Verse Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Good Differentgrades 6–9: Shares themes of identity, both on the Georgia Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Verse Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Parachute Kidsgrades 3–7: Shares themes of resilience, both on the Georgia Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
In the Beautiful Countrygrades 3–6: Shares themes of resilience, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Something Like Homegrades 6–8: Shares themes of identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Esperanza Rising750L: Shares themes of resilience, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Fish in a Tree550L: Shares themes of resilience, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of resilience, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Scare School Diaries: Welcome to Scare Schoolgrades 3–6: Is by Jarrett Lerner, the same author, overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like A Work in Progress for younger readers (K–2)

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

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin · grades K–3 — Shares themes of identity and both on the Colorado Children's Book Award list.
Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack · grades K–3 — Shares themes of identity and both on the Colorado Children's Book Award list.
A Mischief of Mice by Christie Matheson · grades K–3 — Both on the Colorado Children's Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li · grades K–3 — Both on the Colorado Children's Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Just Like Millie by Lauren Castillo · grades K–3 — Both on the Colorado Children's Book Award list and the same era (2020s).

Books like A Work in Progress for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin · grades K–3 — Shares themes of identity and both on the Colorado Children's Book Award list.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack · grades K–3 — Shares themes of identity and both on the Colorado Children's Book Award list.
Booked by Kwame Alexander · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Verse Novel), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2020s).
Popcorn by Rob Harrell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of mental health and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like A Work in Progress for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Verse Novel), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Booked by Kwame Alexander · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Verse Novel), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2020s).
Popcorn by Rob Harrell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of mental health and overlapping grades (4–8).
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson · 990L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like A Work in Progress for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou · 1070L — Shares themes of identity and resilience.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger · 790L — Shares themes of mental health and identity.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker · 670L — Shares themes of identity and resilience.
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of mental health.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson · 780L — Shares themes of resilience and overlapping grades (5–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to A Work in Progress?: The 10 closest matches to A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner on ReadingList include Louder Than Hunger, Other Words for Home, Good Different, Parachute Kids, and In the Beautiful Country. Each is scored on shared themes (mental health, identity, and resilience), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like A Work in Progress reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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