What books are similar to Perfect Chemistry?

The 10 closest matches to Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles on ReadingList include After, Night Kites, Shadow of the Dragon, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and Tears of A Tiger. Each is scored on shared themes (gangs, family problems, and dating (social customs)), 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 Perfect Chemistry 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 Perfect Chemistry

If you liked Perfect Chemistry, read After, Night Kites, or Shadow of the Dragon — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: After by Francine Prose — shares high schools

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Looking for books like Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of gangs, family problems, and dating (social customs). 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 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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Aftergrades 9–12: Shares themes of high schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Night Kitesgrades 9–12: Shares themes of family problems, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Shadow of the Dragongrades 9–12: Shares themes of gangs, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnesgrades 9–12: Shares themes of high schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Tears of A Tigergrades 9–12: Shares themes of high schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Only Alien on the Planetgrades 9–12: Shares themes of high schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
What If It's Usgrades 9–12: Shares themes of dating (social customs), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Written in the Starsgrades 9–12: Shares themes of dating (social customs), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
High Heatgrades 6–9: Shares themes of family problems and high schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Plague Yeargrades 9–12: Shares themes of high schools and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Perfect Chemistry for younger readers (K–2)

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

Humpty-Dumpty Egg-Splodes by O'Malley, Kevin · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Widget by Lyn Rossiter McFarland · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Perfect Chemistry for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Avalon High by Meg Cabot · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of high schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Daphne's Book by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family problems and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Drive-By by Lynne Ewing · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of gangs and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Perfect Chemistry for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Daphne's Book by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family problems and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Drive-By by Lynne Ewing · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of gangs and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine · grades 3–6 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen · 760L — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
No Talking by Andrew Clements · grades 3–8 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Perfect Chemistry for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares · grades 9–12 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Perfect Chemistry?: The 10 closest matches to Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles on ReadingList include After, Night Kites, Shadow of the Dragon, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and Tears of A Tiger. Each is scored on shared themes (gangs, family problems, and dating (social customs)), 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 Perfect Chemistry 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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