What books are similar to Tangerine?

The 10 closest matches to Tangerine by Edward Bloor on ReadingList include The Boys Start the War, Ava and Pip, Henry Reed's Babysitting Service, The Giant Slayer, and Earthquake Terror. Each is scored on shared themes (people with visual disabilities, brothers, and diaries), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Tangerine reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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 Tangerine

If you liked Tangerine, read The Boys Start the War, Ava and Pip, or Henry Reed's Babysitting Service — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor — shares brothers

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Looking for books like Tangerine by Edward Bloor (Realistic Fiction · grades 2–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of people with visual disabilities, brothers, and diaries. 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 2–8 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 Boys Start the Wargrades 3–8: Shares themes of brothers, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Ava and Pipgrades 3–8: Shares themes of diaries, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Henry Reed's Babysitting Servicegrades 4–6: Shares themes of diaries, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Giant Slayergrades 3–6: Shares themes of people with disabilities, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Earthquake Terrorgrades 3–5: Shares themes of people with disabilities and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Scared Stiffgrades 3–6: Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Diary of a Killer Catgrades 3–5: Shares themes of diaries and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
The Ghost of Fossil Glengrades 3–8: Shares themes of diaries and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
7 X 9 = Troublegrades 3–5: Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Athlete vs. Mathletegrades 3–5: Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Tangerine for younger readers (K–2)

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

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Sharing Susan by Eve Bunting · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

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

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

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Sharing Susan by Eve Bunting · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Verdi by Janell Cannon · grades 3–5 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7).

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

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

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Sharing Susan by Eve Bunting · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).
Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 3–6 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–7).
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt · grades 2–8 — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8).

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

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

Breaking Boxes by A. M. Jenkins · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of diaries and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of people with disabilities and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Night Kites by M. E. Kerr · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Tangerine?: The 10 closest matches to Tangerine by Edward Bloor on ReadingList include The Boys Start the War, Ava and Pip, Henry Reed's Babysitting Service, The Giant Slayer, and Earthquake Terror. Each is scored on shared themes (people with visual disabilities, brothers, and diaries), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 2–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Tangerine reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 2–8), 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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