What books are similar to Refugee?

The 10 closest matches to Refugee by Alan Gratz on ReadingList include Allies, Projekt 1065, Inside Out & Back Again, A Night Divided, and Echo. Each is scored on shared themes (refugees, survival, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Refugee reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–9), 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 Refugee

If you liked Refugee, read Allies, Projekt 1065, or Inside Out & Back Again — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Allies by Alan Gratz

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Looking for books like Refugee by Alan Gratz (Historical Fiction · 800L · grades 5–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of refugees, survival, and family. 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 5–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Alliesgrades 5–9: Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Projekt 1065grades 5–9: Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Inside Out & Back Again800L: Shares themes of refugees, family, and displacement and a close reading level (800L vs 800L). Amazon → books like this →
A Night Dividedgrades 5–8: Shares themes of family, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Echo680L: Shares themes of family, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Hunger Games810L: Shares themes of survival, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+11 more shared lists), and a close reading level (810L vs 800L). Amazon → books like this →
Code Name Kingfishergrades 4–8: Shares themes of survival and family, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of family and empathy, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+11 more shared lists), and a close reading level (790L vs 800L). Amazon → books like this →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of family, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 800L). Amazon → books like this →
When Stars Are Scatteredgrades 5–8: Shares themes of refugees and family, both on the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Refugee 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 (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 800L).
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of survival, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).

Books like Refugee for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Two Degrees by Alan Gratz · grades 5–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of survival, and both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list.
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–8).
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park · 720L — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 800L).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of family, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+5 more shared lists), and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Ghost by Jason Reynolds · 730L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (730L vs 800L), and the same era (2010s).

Books like Refugee for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Two Degrees by Alan Gratz · grades 5–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of survival, and both on the Wisconsin Golden Archer Award list.
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz · grades 6–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Heroes by Alan Gratz · grades 6–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–8).
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park · 720L — Shares themes of survival, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 800L).

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

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

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of family, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys · 560L — Shares themes of refugees and survival, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Historical Fiction).
The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of survival, both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Refugee?: The 10 closest matches to Refugee by Alan Gratz on ReadingList include Allies, Projekt 1065, Inside Out & Back Again, A Night Divided, and Echo. Each is scored on shared themes (refugees, survival, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Refugee reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–9), 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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