Books like The Friendship

If you liked The Friendship, read Let the Circle Be Unbroken, The Road to Memphis, or Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor

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Looking for books like The Friendship by Mildred D. Taylor (Children's · grades 4–9)? 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 4–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Friendship

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Why each is a match

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Let the Circle Be Unbrokengrades 4–8
Is by Mildred D. Taylor, the same author, both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Road to Memphisgrades 4–8
Is by Mildred D. Taylor, the same author, both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rushgrades 4–9
Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
A Little Feargrades 4–9
Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Anthony Burnsgrades 4–10
Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Auks, Rocks, and the Odd Dinosaurgrades 4–10
Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Behind Barbed Wiregrades 4–10
Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Conrad's Wargrades 4–9
Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Playing Beatie Bowgrades 4–9
Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Moves Make the Mangrades 4–9
Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

  • The Weaver's Gift by Kathryn Lasky · grades 4–10 — Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
  • A Long Hard Journey by Pat McKissack · grades 4–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s).
  • Everett Anderson's Goodbye by Lucille Clifton · grades 4–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s).
  • Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers · grades 4–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s).
  • Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Walter · grades 4–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s).

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

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

  • The Weaver's Gift by Kathryn Lasky · grades 4–10 — Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10).
  • A Long Hard Journey by Pat McKissack · grades 4–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s).
  • Everett Anderson's Goodbye by Lucille Clifton · grades 4–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s).
  • Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers · grades 4–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s).
  • Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Walter · grades 4–8 — Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (1980s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Friendship?
The 10 closest matches to The Friendship by Mildred D. Taylor on ReadingList include Let the Circle Be Unbroken, The Road to Memphis, Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, A Little Fear, and Anthony Burns. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Friendship reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–9), 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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