What books are similar to The China Garden?

The 10 closest matches to The China Garden by Liz Berry on ReadingList include Fire on the Mountain, A Handful of Dust, The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson, A Door Near Here, and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Each is scored on shared themes (mothers and daughters, extrasensory perception, and england, fiction), 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 The China Garden 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.

Books like The China Garden

If you liked The China Garden, read Fire on the Mountain, A Handful of Dust, or The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: Fire on the Mountain by Anita Desai — shares mothers and daughters

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Looking for books like The China Garden by Liz Berry (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of mothers and daughters, extrasensory perception, and england, 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Fire on the Mountaingrades 9–10: Shares themes of mothers and daughters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
A Handful of Dustgrades 11–12: Shares themes of england, fiction and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
The True Colors of Caitlynne Jacksongrades 6–9: Shares themes of mothers and daughters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
A Door Near Heregrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soulgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
If You Come Softlygrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Jumping the Nailgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Just Like Martingrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Tears of A Tigergrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Dash & Lily’s Book of Daresgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The China Garden for younger readers (K–2)

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

Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Copycat by Ruth Brown · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Red Racer by Audrey Wood · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Books like The China Garden for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of mothers and daughters and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mothers and daughters and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Copycat by Ruth Brown · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Books like The China Garden for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Third Eye by Lois Duncan · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of extrasensory perception and extrasensory perception, fiction.
Spirit Seeker by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of extrasensory perception and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mothers and daughters and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
Blackwater by Eve Bunting · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The China Garden?: The 10 closest matches to The China Garden by Liz Berry on ReadingList include Fire on the Mountain, A Handful of Dust, The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson, A Door Near Here, and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Each is scored on shared themes (mothers and daughters, extrasensory perception, and england, fiction), 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 The China Garden 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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