What books are similar to Murder Among Friends?

The 10 closest matches to Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming on ReadingList include The Silence That Binds Us, Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard, Unwind, The Agathas, and I'll Give You the Sun. Each is scored on shared themes (crime, justice, and history), 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 Murder Among Friends 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 Murder Among Friends

If you liked Murder Among Friends, read The Silence That Binds Us, Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard, or Unwind — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho — shares justice

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Looking for books like Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming (Nonfiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of crime, justice, and history. 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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The Silence That Binds Usgrades 9–12: Shares themes of justice, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullardgrades 9–12: Shares themes of history, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Unwindgrades 8–12: Shares themes of justice, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Agathasgrades 9–12: Shares themes of justice and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
I'll Give You the Sungrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Antigonegrades 9–12: Shares themes of justice and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legendgrades 9–12: Same genre (Nonfiction) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Death in the Junglegrades 4–10: Is by Candace Fleming, the same author, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults)1130L: Shares themes of justice and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Oedipus Rexgrades 9–12: Shares themes of justice and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Murder Among Friends for younger readers (K–2)

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

Honey, the Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln by Shari Swanson · grades K–2 — Same genre (Nonfiction) and the same era (2020s).
Yoshi and the Ocean: A Sea Turtle's Incredible Journey Home by Lindsay Moore · grades K–3 — Same genre (Nonfiction) and the same era (2020s).
Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of history.
Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack · grades K–3 — Shares themes of history.
A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying by Jim Dutcher · grades K–3 — Same genre (Nonfiction).

Books like Murder Among Friends for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic by Candace Fleming · grades 3–6 — Is by Candace Fleming, the same author, same genre (Nonfiction), and the same era (2020s).
Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art by Hannah Salyer · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Nonfiction).
Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera by Deborah Hopkinson · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Nonfiction).
Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E. Barone · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Nonfiction).
The Fire of Stars by Kirsten W. Larson · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Nonfiction).

Books like Murder Among Friends for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic by Candace Fleming · grades 3–6 — Is by Candace Fleming, the same author, same genre (Nonfiction), and the same era (2020s).
Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art by Hannah Salyer · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Nonfiction).
Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera by Deborah Hopkinson · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Nonfiction).
Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E. Barone · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Nonfiction).
The Fire of Stars by Kirsten W. Larson · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of history and same genre (Nonfiction).

Books like Murder Among Friends for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Torch by Lyn Miller-Lachmann · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of history and overlapping grades (9–12).
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir · grades 9–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
Brownstone by Samuel Teer · grades 9–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado · grades 9–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s).
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Murder Among Friends?: The 10 closest matches to Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming on ReadingList include The Silence That Binds Us, Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard, Unwind, The Agathas, and I'll Give You the Sun. Each is scored on shared themes (crime, justice, and history), 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 Murder Among Friends 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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