What books are similar to Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon?

The 10 closest matches to Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin on ReadingList include Most Dangerous, The Notorious Benedict Arnold, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, Ender's Game, and A Long Walk to Water. Each is scored on shared themes (history, science and ethics, and war), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

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 Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon

If you liked Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, read Most Dangerous, The Notorious Benedict Arnold, or Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: Most Dangerous by Steve Sheinkin

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Looking for books like Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin (Young Adult Nonfiction / History · 920L · grades 6–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of history, science and ethics, and war. The 10 titles below 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 6–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Most Dangerousgrades 4–10: Is by Steve Sheinkin, the same author, overlapping grades (4–10), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Notorious Benedict Arnoldgrades 4–10: Is by Steve Sheinkin, the same author, overlapping grades (4–10), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You1000L: Shares themes of American history, same genre (Young Adult Nonfiction / History), and a close reading level (1000L vs 920L). Amazon → books like this →
Ender's Game780L: Shares themes of war and a close reading level (780L vs 920L). Amazon → books like this →
A Long Walk to Water720L: Shares themes of war and a close reading level (720L vs 920L). Amazon → books like this →
Echo680L: Shares themes of war and a close reading level (680L vs 920L). Amazon → books like this →
Alliesgrades 5–9: Shares themes of war and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Little Women1300L: Shares themes of ambition and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
Pax760L: Shares themes of war and a close reading level (760L vs 920L). Amazon → books like this →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of war and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon for younger readers (K–2)

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

I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of history.
Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet · grades 1–4 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list and the same era (2010s).
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard · grades K–3 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list and the same era (2010s).
Funny Bones by Duncan Tonatiuh · grades 2–5 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis · 1000L — Shares themes of history and a close reading level (1000L vs 920L).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of history.
Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Polacco · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of history.
Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet · grades 1–4 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list and the same era (2010s).
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard · grades K–3 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list and the same era (2010s).

Books like Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis · 1000L — Shares themes of history and a close reading level (1000L vs 920L).
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson · 610L — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (6–8).
Black Potatoes by Susan Campbell Bartoletti · grades 6–10 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list, overlapping grades (6–10), and the same era (2010s).
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman · grades 5–9 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list, overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien · 880L — Shares themes of war and a close reading level (880L vs 920L).
Black Potatoes by Susan Campbell Bartoletti · grades 6–10 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list, overlapping grades (6–10), and the same era (2010s).
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman · grades 5–9 — Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list, overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon?: The 10 closest matches to Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin on ReadingList include Most Dangerous, The Notorious Benedict Arnold, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, Ender's Game, and A Long Walk to Water. Each is scored on shared themes (history, science and ethics, and war), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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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