What books are similar to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

The 10 closest matches to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie on ReadingList include The Hate U Give, American Born Chinese, The Poet X, The Color Purple, and Long Way Down. Each is scored on shared themes (Native American identity, poverty, and racism), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–10), 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 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

If you liked The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, read The Hate U Give, American Born Chinese, or The Poet X — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas — shares code-switching

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Looking for books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Young Adult / Semi-autobiographical Fiction · 600L · grades 7–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of Native American identity, poverty, and racism. 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 7–10 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 Hate U Give590L: Shares themes of code-switching, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (590L vs 600L). Amazon → books like this →
American Born Chinese530L: Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (530L vs 600L). Amazon → books like this →
The Poet X800L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (800L vs 600L). Amazon → books like this →
The Color Purple670L: Shares themes of poverty and racism and a close reading level (670L vs 600L). Amazon → books like this →
Long Way Down720L: Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (720L vs 600L). Amazon → books like this →
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—19631000L: Shares themes of racism and coming of age, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mississippi Trial, 1955grades 6–9: Shares themes of racism and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Every Soul a Stargrades 6–8: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Fault in Our Stars850L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (850L vs 600L). Amazon → books like this →
The House on Mango Street870L: Shares themes of poverty, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for younger readers (K–2)

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

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows · 580L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (580L vs 600L), and the same era (2000s).
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (530L vs 600L), and the same era (2000s).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of coming of age and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
A Coyote Solstice Tale by Thomas King · grades K–3 — Both on the American Indian Youth Literature Award list and the same era (2000s).
Crossing Bok Chitto by Tim Tingle · grades K–3 — Both on the American Indian Youth Literature Award list and the same era (2000s).

Books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo · 670L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (670L vs 600L), and the same era (2000s).
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (610L vs 600L), and the same era (2000s).
You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Ellen Oh · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of racism and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows · 580L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (580L vs 600L), and the same era (2000s).
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (530L vs 600L), and the same era (2000s).

Books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo · 670L — Both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (670L vs 600L), and the same era (2000s).
You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Ellen Oh · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of racism and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee · 870L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (7–10).
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank · 1080L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (7–10).
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott · 1300L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (7–10).

Books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee · 870L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (7–10).
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison · 920L — Shares themes of poverty and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank · 1080L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (7–10).
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott · 1300L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (7–10).
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd · 840L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (840L vs 600L).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?: The 10 closest matches to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie on ReadingList include The Hate U Give, American Born Chinese, The Poet X, The Color Purple, and Long Way Down. Each is scored on shared themes (Native American identity, poverty, and racism), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–10), 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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