What books are similar to Ghost Boys?

The 10 closest matches to Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes on ReadingList include Black Brother, Black Brother, Front Desk, Ghost, Blended, and Bud, Not Buddy. Each is scored on shared themes (race, justice, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Ghost Boys reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Ghost Boys

If you liked Ghost Boys, read Black Brother, Black Brother, Front Desk, or Ghost — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes — shares justice and identity

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Looking for books like Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Realistic Fiction · 360L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of race, justice, 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Black Brother, Black Brothergrades 5–8: Is by Jewell Parker Rhodes, the same author, shares themes of justice and identity, and both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list. Amazon → books like this →
Front Desk640L: Shares themes of race and family, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Blended610L: Shares themes of race, family, and identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and a close reading level (610L vs 360L). Amazon → books like this →
Bud, Not Buddy950L: Shares themes of race, family, and identity, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Restart730L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrisegrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of family and identity, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
El Deafo420L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (420L vs 360L), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
One Crazy Summer750L: Shares themes of race and family, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Ghost Boys for younger readers (K–2)

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

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Togo by Robert J. Blake · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Ghost Boys for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of justice, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of race and family, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Ungifted by Gordon Korman · grades 5–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson · 440L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (440L vs 360L), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Ghost Boys for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of justice, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson · 610L — Shares themes of race and justice and a close reading level (610L vs 360L).
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of identity and both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists).
Unwind by Neal Shusterman · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of justice and identity and both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list.
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of race and family, both on the William Allen White Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson · 1130L — Shares themes of race and justice.
Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of identity and both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists).
Unwind by Neal Shusterman · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of justice and identity and both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2010s).
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Shares themes of family and identity and both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list.

Common questions

What books are similar to Ghost Boys?: The 10 closest matches to Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes on ReadingList include Black Brother, Black Brother, Front Desk, Ghost, Blended, and Bud, Not Buddy. Each is scored on shared themes (race, justice, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Ghost Boys reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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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