What books are similar to Onyx & Beyond?

The 10 closest matches to Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride on ReadingList include The One and Only Ruby, Countdown to Yesterday, Just Keep Walking, Summer of the Monkeys, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Each is scored on shared themes (family, memory, and love), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Onyx & Beyond reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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 Onyx & Beyond

If you liked Onyx & Beyond, read The One and Only Ruby, Countdown to Yesterday, or Just Keep Walking — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate — shares family and memory

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Looking for books like Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride (Middle Grade Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of family, memory, and love. 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 3–6 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 One and Only Rubygrades 2–5: Shares themes of family and memory, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Countdown to Yesterdaygrades 3–6: Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Just Keep Walkinggrades 3–6: Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7: Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing470L: Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Harriet the Spygrades 4–7: Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Jawbreakergrades 3–7: Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Firefly Summergrades 3–7: Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Onyx & Beyond for younger readers (K–2)

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

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Picture Purrfect (Bodega Cats #1) by Hilda Eunice Burgos · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer · grades 2–5 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s).
Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso · grades 2–5 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s).
Introducing Sandwina: The Strongest Woman in the World! by Vicki Conrad · grades 2–5 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, overlapping grades (2–5), and the same era (2020s).

Books like Onyx & Beyond for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser · grades 4–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), overlapping grades (4–5), and the same era (2020s).
Finding Normal by Stephanie Faris · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), overlapping grades (3–5), and the same era (2020s).

Books like Onyx & Beyond for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and love.
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of love.
Oliver's Great Big Universe by Jorge Cham · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2020s).

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

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

Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and love.
A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of love.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of love.
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of family and memory.
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of love.

Common questions

What books are similar to Onyx & Beyond?: The 10 closest matches to Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride on ReadingList include The One and Only Ruby, Countdown to Yesterday, Just Keep Walking, Summer of the Monkeys, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Each is scored on shared themes (family, memory, and love), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Onyx & Beyond reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–6), 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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