What books are similar to The Boys Start the War?

The 10 closest matches to The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor on ReadingList include Shiloh, Shiloh Season, Tangerine, Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job, and Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You. Each is scored on shared themes (practical jokes in fiction, brothers, and sisters in fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Boys Start the War reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 The Boys Start the War

If you liked The Boys Start the War, read Shiloh, Shiloh Season, or Tangerine — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

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Looking for books like The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of practical jokes in fiction, brothers, and sisters 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Shiloh890L: Is by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, the same author, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh Seasongrades 3–6: Is by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, the same author, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Tangerinegrades 2–8: Shares themes of brothers, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Jobgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Sixth Grade Can Really Kill Yougrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Frindle830L: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Fourth Grade Ratsgrades 4–6: Both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Snot Stewgrades 3–6: Both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Tornadogrades 3–6: Both on the South Carolina Children's Book Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Boys Start the War for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Loch by Paul Zindel · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Zach's Lie by Roland Smith · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Scared Stiff by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (3–6).
A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry · grades 4–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd · grades 4–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like The Boys Start the War for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Loch by Paul Zindel · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Zach's Lie by Roland Smith · grades 3–8 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Scared Stiff by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (3–6).
A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry · grades 4–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).
Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd · grades 4–6 — Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like The Boys Start the War 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).
Night Kites by M. E. Kerr · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Boys Start the War?: The 10 closest matches to The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor on ReadingList include Shiloh, Shiloh Season, Tangerine, Baby-Sitting Is a Dangerous Job, and Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You. Each is scored on shared themes (practical jokes in fiction, brothers, and sisters in fiction), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Boys Start the War reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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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