Books like The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson

If you liked The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson, read Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, Good Night, Mr. Tom, or Don't Hurt Laurie — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix — shares child abuse

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Looking for books like The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson by Carol Lynch Williams (Realistic Fiction · grades 6–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of abandoned children, child abuse, and mothers and daughters. 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 6–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson

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Why each is a match

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Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphreygrades 6–9
Shares themes of child abuse, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and same genre (Realistic Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Good Night, Mr. Tomgrades 6–8
Shares themes of child abuse and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Don't Hurt Lauriegrades 4–8
Shares themes of child abuse, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Duelgrades 4–8
Shares themes of sisters and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
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 →
The Cats in Krasinski Squaregrades 3–8
Shares themes of sisters and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbyegrades 4–6
Shares themes of mothers and daughters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
The China Gardengrades 9–12
Shares themes of mothers and daughters, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Danger Zonegrades 6–9
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Heart of a Championgrades 6–8
Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • No Such Thing by Jackie French Koller · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Riptide by Frances Ward Weller · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Rugby and Rosie by Nan Parson Rossiter · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • The Grannyman by Judith Byron Schachner · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Books like The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson 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 child abuse and mothers and daughters and same genre (Realistic Fiction).
  • Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • No Such Thing by Jackie French Koller · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Riptide by Frances Ward Weller · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).
  • Rugby and Rosie by Nan Parson Rossiter · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson?
The 10 closest matches to The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson by Carol Lynch Williams on ReadingList include Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, Good Night, Mr. Tom, Don't Hurt Laurie, Duel, and Fire on the Mountain. Each is scored on shared themes (abandoned children, child abuse, and mothers and daughters), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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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