What books are similar to Brick Dust and Bones?

The 10 closest matches to Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Fournet on ReadingList include Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl, Skyriders, The Lost Year, Amir and the Jinn Princess, and The Last Hope in Hopetown. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, family, and perseverance), 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 Brick Dust and Bones 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.

Books like Brick Dust and Bones

If you liked Brick Dust and Bones, read Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl, Skyriders, or The Lost Year — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl by Julie Kagawa — shares courage and perseverance

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Looking for books like Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Fournet (Middle Grade Fantasy · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of courage, family, and perseverance. 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.

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Why each is a match

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Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatlgrades 6–8: Shares themes of courage and perseverance, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
Skyridersgrades 6–8: Shares themes of courage and perseverance, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Lost Yeargrades 6–8: Shares themes of family and perseverance, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Amir and the Jinn Princessgrades 4–8: Shares themes of courage and family, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Last Hope in Hopetowngrades 6–8: Shares themes of courage and family, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Control Freaksgrades 6–8: Shares themes of perseverance, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Impossible Creaturesgrades 4–8: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Night Traingrades 4–8: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Globalgrades 6–8: Shares themes of courage and perseverance and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Just a Pinch of Magicgrades 4–8: Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Brick Dust and Bones for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of courage and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of courage and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise · grades K–3 — Shares themes of courage and perseverance.
Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise · grades K–3 — Shares themes of courage and perseverance.
Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike by Dashka Slater · grades K–2 — Shares themes of courage and perseverance.

Books like Brick Dust and Bones for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of courage and perseverance, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
Growing Home by Beth Ferry · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of family and perseverance, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).
Punycorn by Andi Watson · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of courage and perseverance and both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list.
Curveball by Pablo Cartaya · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of family and perseverance and both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list.
Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliott · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of courage, family, and perseverance.

Books like Brick Dust and Bones for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Heroes by Alan Gratz · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8).
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9).
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8).
Operation Final Notice by Matthew Landis · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family and perseverance and overlapping grades (4–8).

Common questions

What books are similar to Brick Dust and Bones?: The 10 closest matches to Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Fournet on ReadingList include Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl, Skyriders, The Lost Year, Amir and the Jinn Princess, and The Last Hope in Hopetown. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, family, and perseverance), 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 Brick Dust and Bones 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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