Books like American Born Chinese

Looking for books like American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (Young Adult Fiction · 530L · grades 7–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of identity, Chinese-American experience, and bullying. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 7–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to American Born Chinese

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Why each is a match

The Poet X800L
Shares themes of identity and coming of age, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (8–12).
The Graveyard Book820L
Shares themes of identity and coming of age and overlapping grades (5–8).
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhoodgrades 9–12
Shares themes of identity and coming of age and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian600L
Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (600L vs 530L).
Speak690L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 530L).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower720L
Shares themes of coming of age, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 530L).
Restart730L
Shares themes of identity and bullying and a close reading level (730L vs 530L).
The Outsiders750L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 530L).
Ender's Game780L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (780L vs 530L).
Save Me a Seat780L
Shares themes of identity and bullying and a close reading level (780L vs 530L).

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