What books are similar to Dragonwings?

The 10 closest matches to Dragonwings by Laurence Yep on ReadingList include Bud, Not Buddy, A Long Walk to Water, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Child of the Owl, and Inside Out & Back Again. Each is scored on shared themes (immigration, Chinese-American experience, and family), 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 Dragonwings 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 Dragonwings

If you liked Dragonwings, read Bud, Not Buddy, A Long Walk to Water, or Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis — shares family and perseverance

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Looking for books like Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (Historical Fiction · 870L · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of immigration, Chinese-American experience, and family. 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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Bud, Not Buddy950L: Shares themes of family and perseverance, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
A Long Walk to Water720L: Shares themes of perseverance, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 870L). Amazon → books like this →
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry920L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (920L vs 870L). Amazon → books like this →
Child of the Owlgrades 4–9: Is by Laurence Yep, the same author, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
Inside Out & Back Again800L: Shares themes of immigration and family and a close reading level (800L vs 870L). Amazon → books like this →
Refugee800L: Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (800L vs 870L). Amazon → books like this →
One Crazy Summer750L: Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—19631000L: Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (1000L vs 870L). Amazon → books like this →
Other Words for Home930L: Shares themes of immigration and family and a close reading level (930L vs 870L). Amazon → books like this →
The Devil's Arithmetic730L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (730L vs 870L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Dragonwings for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park · 920L — Shares themes of perseverance and a close reading level (920L vs 870L).
Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan · 680L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (680L vs 870L).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of family and same genre (Historical Fiction).
A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).

Books like Dragonwings for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park · 920L — Shares themes of perseverance and a close reading level (920L vs 870L).
Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan · 680L — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (680L vs 870L).
A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan · 930L — Shares themes of immigration, Chinese-American experience, and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (930L vs 870L).
My Ántonia by Willa Cather · 1010L — Shares themes of immigration, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (1010L vs 870L).
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini · 840L — Shares themes of immigration, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (840L vs 870L).
Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka · grades 11–12 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and the same era (1970s).
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara · grades 9–10 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and the same era (1970s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Dragonwings?: The 10 closest matches to Dragonwings by Laurence Yep on ReadingList include Bud, Not Buddy, A Long Walk to Water, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Child of the Owl, and Inside Out & Back Again. Each is scored on shared themes (immigration, Chinese-American experience, and family), 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 Dragonwings 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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