Books like We Are the Ship
If you liked We Are the Ship, read Heart and Soul, Bad News for Outlaws, or Day of Tears — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Looking for books like We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson? 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to We Are the Ship
Heart and SoulKadir Nelson
Bad News for OutlawsVaunda Micheaux Nelson
Day of TearsJulius Lester- Mystery FishSally M. Walker
RememberToni Morrison- Team MoonCatherine Thimmesh
- The Life and Death of Adolf HitlerJames Cross Giblin
A Few Red DropsClaire Hartfield- Almost AstronautsTanya Lee Stone
- An American PlagueJim Murphy
Reading the whole similar-books list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.
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Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.
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Why each is a match
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- Heart and Soulgrades 4–8
- Is by Kadir Nelson, the same author, both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Bad News for Outlawsgrades 3–7
- Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- Day of Tearsgrades 7–12
- Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- Mystery Fishgrades 6–10
- Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list, overlapping grades (6–10), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- Remembergrades 4–8
- Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list, overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- Team Moongrades 5–9
- Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list, overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- The Life and Death of Adolf Hitlergrades 7–12
- Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list, overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
- A Few Red Dropsgrades 7–12
- Both on the Coretta Scott King Author Award list and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
- Almost Astronautsgrades 5–9
- Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
- An American Plaguegrades 6–10
- Both on the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal list and overlapping grades (6–10). Amazon → books like this →
Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.