What books are similar to Look Both Ways?

The 10 closest matches to Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds on ReadingList include Ghost, Stuntboy, In-Between Time, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, You Are Here: Connecting Flights, and A Boy Called Bat. Each is scored on shared themes (community, childhood, and connection), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Look Both Ways reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Look Both Ways

If you liked Look Both Ways, read Ghost, Stuntboy, In-Between Time, or The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds (Realistic Fiction · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of community, childhood, and connection. 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 5–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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Why each is a match

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Ghost730L: Is by Jason Reynolds, the same author, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Stuntboy, In-Between Timegrades 3–6: Is by Jason Reynolds, the same author, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Streetgrades 3–6: Shares themes of community, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
You Are Here: Connecting Flightsgrades 3–6: Shares themes of community, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
A Boy Called Batgrades 3–5: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
A Boy Named Queengrades 3–8: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Amal Unboundgrades 5–8: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Ava and Pipgrades 3–8: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Backlashgrades 3–8: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Ban This Bookgrades 3–6: Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Look Both Ways 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 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
My Explosive Diary by Emily Gale · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat by Raúl the Third III · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction) and overlapping grades (2–8).

Books like Look Both Ways for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s).
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
Duke by Kirby Larson · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2010s).
Eight Keys by Suzanne M. LaFleur · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Look Both Ways for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Eight Keys by Suzanne M. LaFleur · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2010s).
Ellie's Story by W. Bruce Cameron · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Look Both Ways for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).
Posted by John David Anderson · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2010s).
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Same genre (Realistic Fiction), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).

Book data last updated 2026-08-11. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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