Books like The Only Alien on the Planet

If you liked The Only Alien on the Planet, read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Tears of A Tiger, or After — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher — shares high schools

Get it on Amazon →

Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Looking for books like The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle (Realistic Fiction · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of elective mutism, friendship, and high schools. 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.

10 books similar to The Only Alien on the Planet

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnesgrades 9–12
Shares themes of high schools, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Tears of A Tigergrades 9–12
Shares themes of high schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Aftergrades 9–12
Shares themes of high schools, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Perfect Chemistrygrades 9–12
Shares themes of high schools, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Plague Yeargrades 9–12
Shares themes of high schools and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Breaking Boxesgrades 9–12
Shares themes of friendship, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Armageddon Summergrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Badgrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Ironmangrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Shadow of the Dragongrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Only Alien on the Planet for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Flying Solo by Ralph J. Fletcher · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of elective mutism and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Avalon High by Meg Cabot · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of high schools and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Ghosts Don't Get Goose Bumps by Elvira Woodruff · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of elective mutism.
  • Stonewords: A Ghost Story by Pam Conrad · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).

Books like The Only Alien on the Planet for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Flying Solo by Ralph J. Fletcher · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of elective mutism and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Stonewords: A Ghost Story by Pam Conrad · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of household moving.
  • Strider by Beverly Cleary · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of high schools.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Only Alien on the Planet?
The 10 closest matches to The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle on ReadingList include Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Tears of A Tiger, After, Perfect Chemistry, and Plague Year. Each is scored on shared themes (elective mutism, friendship, and high schools), 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 Only Alien on the Planet 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.

← Back to The Only Alien on the Planet

Browse by another angle

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: