What books are similar to I Must Betray You?

The 10 closest matches to I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys on ReadingList include Salt to the Sea, The Fountains of Silence, Impulse, The Sun is Also a Star, and Everything, Everything. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like I Must Betray You reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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 I Must Betray You

If you liked I Must Betray You, read Salt to the Sea, The Fountains of Silence, or Impulse — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

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Looking for books like I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Salt to the Sea560L: Is by Ruta Sepetys, the same author, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Fountains of Silencegrades 9–12: Is by Ruta Sepetys, the same author, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Impulsegrades 9–12: Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Sun is Also a Stargrades 9–12: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Everything, Everythinggrades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Fault in Our Stars850L: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+4 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Hate U Give590L: Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
My Sister's Keepergrades 9–12: Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Twilightgrades 9–12: Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Divergentgrades 8–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like I Must Betray You for younger readers (K–2)

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

Mr. Fox's Game of "No!" by David LaRochelle · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Chez Bob by Bob Shea · grades K–2 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Zombies Don't Eat Veggies! by Jorge Lacera · grades K–2 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like I Must Betray You for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Mr. Fox's Game of "No!" by David LaRochelle · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky · grades 3–6 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+2 more shared lists) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Odder by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–5 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2020s).

Books like I Must Betray You for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2020s).
Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky · grades 3–6 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+2 more shared lists) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson · grades 5–8 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2020s).
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier · grades 3–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like I Must Betray You for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Five Survive by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to I Must Betray You?: The 10 closest matches to I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys on ReadingList include Salt to the Sea, The Fountains of Silence, Impulse, The Sun is Also a Star, and Everything, Everything. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like I Must Betray You reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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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