Books like Summer of Riley
If you liked Summer of Riley, read Sharing Susan, Is Anybody There?, or The Thing About Leftovers — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.
Closest match: Sharing Susan by Eve Bunting
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Looking for books like Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–5)? It’s most often read for its themes of divorce, divorce in fiction, and oregon in fiction. 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 3–5 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to Summer of Riley
- Sharing SusanEve BuntingSharing SusanEve Bunting
Is Anybody There?Eve Bunting
The Thing About LeftoversC.C. Payne
DominicWilliam Steig
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary ThingsLenore Look
John, Paul, George and BenLane Smith
Last Holiday ConcertAndrew Clements- LoserJerry SpinelliLoserJerry Spinelli
- Say What?Margaret Peterson HaddixSay What?Margaret Peterson Haddix
- The Lemonade WarDavies, JacquelineThe Lemonade WarDavies, Jacqueline
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Why each is a match
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- Sharing Susangrades 2–8
- Is by Eve Bunting, the same author, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Is Anybody There?grades 3–5
- Is by Eve Bunting, the same author and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
- The Thing About Leftoversgrades 4–7
- Shares themes of divorce, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
- Dominicgrades 4–8
- Shares themes of dogs in fiction and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Thingsgrades 3–5
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
- John, Paul, George and Bengrades 3–5
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
- Last Holiday Concertgrades 3–5
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
- Losergrades 4–6
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
- Say What?grades 2–8
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
- The Lemonade Wargrades 4–6
- Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Books like Summer of Riley 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 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- Spying on Miss Müller by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- Night Hoops by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of divorce and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- Taking Terri Mueller by Norma Fox Mazer · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of divorce and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- Breathe: A Ghost Story by Cliff McNish · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (2000s).
Books like Summer of Riley for high school & teens (grades 9–12)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.
- Jumping the Nail by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- The Face at the Edge of the World by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Is by Eve Bunting, the same author and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of divorce, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
- Night Hoops by Carl Deuker · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of divorce and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Common questions
- What books are similar to Summer of Riley?
- The 10 closest matches to Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting on ReadingList include Sharing Susan, Is Anybody There?, The Thing About Leftovers, Dominic, and Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things. Each is scored on shared themes (divorce, divorce in fiction, and oregon in fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–5), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like Summer of Riley reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–5), 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.