What books are similar to The Words We Keep?

The 10 closest matches to The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart on ReadingList include Chronically Dolores, Forever Is Now, The Words in My Hands, This Is My Brain in Love, and Anger Is a Gift. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 8–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Words We Keep reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 8–12), 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 Words We Keep

If you liked The Words We Keep, read Chronically Dolores, Forever Is Now, or The Words in My Hands — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Chronically Dolores by Maya Van Wagenen

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Looking for books like The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart? 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 8–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Chronically Doloresgrades 8–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Forever Is Nowgrades 8–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
The Words in My Handsgrades 8–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
This Is My Brain in Lovegrades 9–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2020s). Amazon → books like this →
Anger Is a Giftgrades 9–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Cursedgrades 7–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Five Flavors of Dumbgrades 8–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
Girls Like Usgrades 9–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Marcelo in the Real Worldgrades 9–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Rose Under Firegrades 8–12: Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Words We Keep for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Popcorn: A hilarious and moving story about coping with anxiety by Rob Harrell · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Show Me a Sign (Show Me a Sign, Book 1) by Ann Clare LeZotte · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).

Books like The Words We Keep for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Popcorn: A hilarious and moving story about coping with anxiety by Rob Harrell · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
Show Me a Sign (Show Me a Sign, Book 1) by Ann Clare LeZotte · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).
The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor · grades 4–7 — Both on the Schneider Family Book Award list and the same era (2020s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Words We Keep?: The 10 closest matches to The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart on ReadingList include Chronically Dolores, Forever Is Now, The Words in My Hands, This Is My Brain in Love, and Anger Is a Gift. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 8–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Words We Keep reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 8–12), 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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Books like The Words We Keep

10 books similar to The Words We Keep

Why each is a match

Books like The Words We Keep for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Books like The Words We Keep for middle school (grades 6–8)

Common questions

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