Books like Say Goodnight, Gracie

If you liked Say Goodnight, Gracie, read Tears of A Tiger, A Sudden Silence, or The Truth Trap — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Tears of A Tiger by Sharon M. Draper — shares death

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Looking for books like Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of actors and actresses, death, and friendship. 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.

10 books similar to Say Goodnight, Gracie

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Why each is a match

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Tears of A Tigergrades 9–12
Shares themes of death, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
A Sudden Silencegrades 9–12
Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Truth Trapgrades 9–12
Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
A Summer to Diegrades 9–12
Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
As I Lay Dyinggrades 11–12
Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Silver Kissgrades 9–12
Shares themes of death, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Pursuitgrades 9–12
Shares themes of death and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Jude the Obscuregrades 11–12
Shares themes of death and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Izzy, Willy-Nillygrades 9–12
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Face at the Edge of the Worldgrades 9–12
Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Say Goodnight, Gracie for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of actors and actresses and actresses and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Fig Pudding by Ralph J. Fletcher · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of death, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Drive-By by Lynne Ewing · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like Say Goodnight, Gracie for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Blackwater by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of death, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of death and friendship and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Drive-By by Lynne Ewing · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Flying Solo by Ralph J. Fletcher · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of death and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Say Goodnight, Gracie?
The 10 closest matches to Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver on ReadingList include Tears of A Tiger, A Sudden Silence, The Truth Trap, A Summer to Die, and As I Lay Dying. Each is scored on shared themes (actors and actresses, death, and friendship), 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 Say Goodnight, Gracie 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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