33 Books like The Dreamer

The Red Umbrella

by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

When revolution tears through Cuba, Lucía boards a flight to America with only her little brother.

4.07

5k+

🚩 Cuban Revolution 🧳 Child Refugees 👫 Siblings In Exile 💔 Family Separated By Regime 🌎 Cultural Adaptation

The Red Umbrella 90%

When revolution tears through Cuba, Lucía boards a flight to America with only her little brother.

by Christina Diaz Gonzalez 2010

4.07

5k+ ratings

🚩 Cuban Revolution 🧳 Child Refugees 👫 Siblings In Exile 💔 Family Separated By Regime 🌎 Cultural Adaptation

The Red Pencil

by Andrea Davis Pinkney • 2014

When war steals her home and voice, a Darfur girl draws her way back to hope.

3.9

7k+

📖 Novel In Verse 🧳 Child Refugee 🎨 Art As Healing 🕊️ Quiet Resilience 🌍 Darfur

The Red Pencil 90%

When war steals her home and voice, a Darfur girl draws her way back to hope.

by Andrea Davis Pinkney 2014

3.9

7k+ ratings

📖 Novel In Verse 🧳 Child Refugee 🎨 Art As Healing 🕊️ Quiet Resilience 🌍 Darfur

The Thing About Jellyfish

by Ali Benjamin • 2015

After her best friend drowns, a girl stops speaking and searches for answers in jellyfish.

4.10

45k+

🔬 Young Scientist 🤫 Chosen Silence 💔 Grieving A Friend 🥲 Bittersweet ✨ Lyrical Middle Grade

The Thing About Jellyfish 90%

After her best friend drowns, a girl stops speaking and searches for answers in jellyfish.

by Ali Benjamin 2015

4.10

45k+ ratings

🔬 Young Scientist 🤫 Chosen Silence 💔 Grieving A Friend 🥲 Bittersweet ✨ Lyrical Middle Grade

Echo Mountain

by Lauren Wolk • 2020

On a mountain in the Depression, Ellie believes the wild can wake her comatose father.

4.25

11k+

🏚️ Depression Era Fiction 🌿 Young Healer 💙 Father-Daughter Bond 🌲 Nature As Healer ⛰️ Mountain Wilderness

Echo Mountain 90%

On a mountain in the Depression, Ellie believes the wild can wake her comatose father.

by Lauren Wolk 2020

4.25

11k+ ratings

🏚️ Depression Era Fiction 🌿 Young Healer 💙 Father-Daughter Bond 🌲 Nature As Healer ⛰️ Mountain Wilderness

Rebound

by Kwame Alexander • 2018

His father dies. Sent to his grandparents, a boy discovers basketball and a path through loss.

4.30

14k+

📖 Novel In Verse 🏀 Sports Fiction 👴 Grandparent Summer 🕊️ Loss Of A Parent 🖤 Black Boyhood

Rebound 90%

His father dies. Sent to his grandparents, a boy discovers basketball and a path through loss.

by Kwame Alexander 2018

4.30

14k+ ratings

📖 Novel In Verse 🏀 Sports Fiction 👴 Grandparent Summer 🕊️ Loss Of A Parent 🖤 Black Boyhood

Tôi Thấy Hoa Vàng Trên Cỏ Xanh

by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh • 2010

A Vietnamese boy envies his gentler brother while buried sorrows slowly surface in their village.

4.12

6k+

🌾 Rural Coming Of Age 💔 Sibling Rivalry 👫 Sibling Bond 💕 First Love 🏚️ Small Town Secrets

Tôi Thấy Hoa Vàng Trên Cỏ Xanh 90%

A Vietnamese boy envies his gentler brother while buried sorrows slowly surface in their village.

by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh 2010

4.12

6k+ ratings

🌾 Rural Coming Of Age 💔 Sibling Rivalry 👫 Sibling Bond 💕 First Love 🏚️ Small Town Secrets

Falling Short

by Ernesto Cisneros • 2022

Sixth grade. Basketball tryouts. Two best friends whose fathers are failing them in different ways.

4.05

2k+

🏀 Middle School Sports 🤝 Odd Couple Friends 💔 Absent Father 🍺 Parental Addiction 👥 Dual Pov

Falling Short 90%

Sixth grade. Basketball tryouts. Two best friends whose fathers are failing them in different ways.

by Ernesto Cisneros 2022

4.05

2k+ ratings

🏀 Middle School Sports 🤝 Odd Couple Friends 💔 Absent Father 🍺 Parental Addiction 👥 Dual Pov

The Wednesday Wars

by Gary D. Schmidt • 2007

Wednesdays with Mrs. Baker: Shakespeare, eraser dust, and Holling's certainty she wants him gone.

4.12

48k+

📜 Shakespeare In School 🤝 Unlikely Mentorship 🌅 Bittersweet Coming Of Age 🏘️ 1960s Suburbia 📚 School Year Story

The Wednesday Wars 89%

Wednesdays with Mrs. Baker: Shakespeare, eraser dust, and Holling's certainty she wants him gone.

by Gary D. Schmidt 2007

4.12

48k+ ratings

📜 Shakespeare In School 🤝 Unlikely Mentorship 🌅 Bittersweet Coming Of Age 🏘️ 1960s Suburbia 📚 School Year Story

Toda la felicidad del universo

by César Brandon Ndjocu • 2018

A son pieces together a childhood of violence, searching poetry for the words his family buried.

3.82

411

🖋️ Prose Poetry 🔀 Fragmentary Narrative 💔 Family Trauma 🫂 Chosen Family 🩹 Healing Journey

Toda la felicidad del universo 89%

A son pieces together a childhood of violence, searching poetry for the words his family buried.

by César Brandon Ndjocu 2018

3.82

411 ratings

🖋️ Prose Poetry 🔀 Fragmentary Narrative 💔 Family Trauma 🫂 Chosen Family 🩹 Healing Journey

Bless Me, Ultima

by Rudolfo Anaya • 1972

A boy's world splits open when a curandera teaches him the sacred lives in the land.

3.83

38k+

🏜️ Chicano Literature 🌿 Folk Healing 🦉 Wise Elder Mentor ⛪ Crisis Of Faith 🌅 Loss Of Innocence

Bless Me, Ultima 89%

A boy's world splits open when a curandera teaches him the sacred lives in the land.

by Rudolfo Anaya 1972

3.83

38k+ ratings

🏜️ Chicano Literature 🌿 Folk Healing 🦉 Wise Elder Mentor ⛪ Crisis Of Faith 🌅 Loss Of Innocence

Other Words for Home

by Jasmine Warga • 2019

A Syrian girl flees to Ohio and finds her voice on a middle-school stage.

4.40

35k+

📖 Verse Novel 🌏 Culture Shock 🧕 Choosing Hijab 💔 Sibling Separation 🎭 School Play

Other Words for Home 89%

A Syrian girl flees to Ohio and finds her voice on a middle-school stage.

by Jasmine Warga 2019

4.40

35k+ ratings

📖 Verse Novel 🌏 Culture Shock 🧕 Choosing Hijab 💔 Sibling Separation 🎭 School Play

The Poet X

by Elizabeth Acevedo • 2018

A Dominican teen in Harlem writes secret poems, until her mother finds them and everything changes.

4.36

143k+

📖 Verse Novel ⛪ Strict Religious Home 💕 Secret Romance 🎤 Slam Poetry 🥲 Body Image Struggles

The Poet X 89%

A Dominican teen in Harlem writes secret poems, until her mother finds them and everything changes.

by Elizabeth Acevedo 2018

4.36

143k+ ratings

📖 Verse Novel ⛪ Strict Religious Home 💕 Secret Romance 🎤 Slam Poetry 🥲 Body Image Struggles

Red, White, and Whole

by Rajani LaRocca • 2021

Reha's world splits between American school and Indian home. Then cancer tests both.

4.40

8k+

📖 Verse Novel 💔 Parent With Cancer 🌏 Dual Identity 🇮🇳 Indian American Experience 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Bond

Red, White, and Whole 89%

Reha's world splits between American school and Indian home. Then cancer tests both.

by Rajani LaRocca 2021

4.40

8k+ ratings

📖 Verse Novel 💔 Parent With Cancer 🌏 Dual Identity 🇮🇳 Indian American Experience 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Bond

Counting by 7s

by Holly Goldberg Sloan • 2013

Orphaned at twelve, a plant-obsessed genius grows a new family from the strangers around her.

4.14

88k+

🫂 Found Family 🧠 Neurodivergent Kid 💔 Grief And Healing 🌼 Quiet Resilience 👨‍🏫 Unlikely Guardian

Counting by 7s 89%

Orphaned at twelve, a plant-obsessed genius grows a new family from the strangers around her.

by Holly Goldberg Sloan 2013

4.14

88k+ ratings

🫂 Found Family 🧠 Neurodivergent Kid 💔 Grief And Healing 🌼 Quiet Resilience 👨‍🏫 Unlikely Guardian

Clap When You Land

by Elizabeth Acevedo • 2020

After a plane crash kills their father, two girls on opposite shores learn they are sisters.

4.22

110k+

📖 Novel In Verse 🫂 Secret Siblings 🇩🇴 Dominican Diaspora 🤫 Family Secrets 👯‍♀️ Sisterhood

Clap When You Land 89%

After a plane crash kills their father, two girls on opposite shores learn they are sisters.

by Elizabeth Acevedo 2020

4.22

110k+ ratings

📖 Novel In Verse 🫂 Secret Siblings 🇩🇴 Dominican Diaspora 🤫 Family Secrets 👯‍♀️ Sisterhood

Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter

by Mario Vargas Llosa • 1977

An aspiring writer falls for his divorcée aunt as a radio scriptwriter's genius turns to chaos.

3.96

24k+

📖 Autofiction 💕 Age Gap Romance ✍️ Artist's Coming Of Age 📻 Story Within A Story 😄 Literary Comedy

Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter 89%

An aspiring writer falls for his divorcée aunt as a radio scriptwriter's genius turns to chaos.

by Mario Vargas Llosa 1977

3.96

24k+ ratings

📖 Autofiction 💕 Age Gap Romance ✍️ Artist's Coming Of Age 📻 Story Within A Story 😄 Literary Comedy

My Sweet Orange Tree

by José Mauro de Vasconcelos • 1968

A Brazilian boy talks to an orange tree until an old man teaches him what love is.

4.38

86k+

💰 Childhood Poverty 💔 Grief And Loss 🌌 Imagination As Refuge 👴 Father Figure 🇧🇷 Brazilian Childhood

My Sweet Orange Tree 89%

A Brazilian boy talks to an orange tree until an old man teaches him what love is.

by José Mauro de Vasconcelos 1968

4.38

86k+ ratings

💰 Childhood Poverty 💔 Grief And Loss 🌌 Imagination As Refuge 👴 Father Figure 🇧🇷 Brazilian Childhood

Aniana del Mar Jumps In

by Jasminne Mendez • 2023

A Dominican American girl hides her swim-team dreams and her pain, until neither can stay hidden.

4.02

895

📝 Middle Grade Verse 🩺 Chronic Illness 💔 Mother Daughter Rift 🌴 Caribbean Diaspora 🌀 Generational Trauma

Aniana del Mar Jumps In 90%

A Dominican American girl hides her swim-team dreams and her pain, until neither can stay hidden.

by Jasminne Mendez 2023

4.02

895 ratings

📝 Middle Grade Verse 🩺 Chronic Illness 💔 Mother Daughter Rift 🌴 Caribbean Diaspora 🌀 Generational Trauma

The Tiger Rising

by Kate DiCamillo • 2001

A grieving boy, a caged tiger, and a fierce girl who believes both should run free.

3.84

33k+

✒️ Lyrical Middle Grade 🖤 Childhood Grief 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🔒 Trapped Emotions 🌿 Quiet And Tender

The Tiger Rising 90%

A grieving boy, a caged tiger, and a fierce girl who believes both should run free.

by Kate DiCamillo 2001

3.84

33k+ ratings

✒️ Lyrical Middle Grade 🖤 Childhood Grief 🤝 Unlikely Friendship 🔒 Trapped Emotions 🌿 Quiet And Tender

The Murmur of Bees

by Sofía Segovia

A Mexican landowner adopts a foundling covered in bees, whose silent visions warn of disaster ahead.

4.23

76k+

🇲🇽 Mexican Magical Realism 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Multigenerational Saga 🏠 Found Family 🐝 Beekeeping 🌿 Land And Legacy

The Murmur of Bees 89%

A Mexican landowner adopts a foundling covered in bees, whose silent visions warn of disaster ahead.

by Sofía Segovia 2015

4.23

76k+ ratings

🇲🇽 Mexican Magical Realism 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Multigenerational Saga 🏠 Found Family 🐝 Beekeeping 🌿 Land And Legacy

The Savage Detectives

by Roberto Bolaño • 1998

Mexico City, 1970s. Young poets abandon their lives to hunt a vanished writer across the desert.

4.18

54k+

📚 Literary Underground ✒️ Failed Poets 🗣️ Oral History 🏙️ Mexico City 🔍 Literary Obsession

The Savage Detectives 89%

Mexico City, 1970s. Young poets abandon their lives to hunt a vanished writer across the desert.

by Roberto Bolaño 1998

4.18

54k+ ratings

📚 Literary Underground ✒️ Failed Poets 🗣️ Oral History 🏙️ Mexico City 🔍 Literary Obsession

Forget Me Not

by Ellie Terry • 2017

A girl with Tourette's hides behind vintage dresses; the class president becomes her secret ally.

3.91

16k+

📖 Verse Novel 🤝 Bystander To Ally 🚶 Outsider Protagonist 🗣️ School Bullying 🌱 Quiet Courage

Forget Me Not 89%

A girl with Tourette's hides behind vintage dresses; the class president becomes her secret ally.

by Ellie Terry 2017

3.91

16k+ ratings

📖 Verse Novel 🤝 Bystander To Ally 🚶 Outsider Protagonist 🗣️ School Bullying 🌱 Quiet Courage

Game Face

by Shari Green • 2023

A goalie's anxiety spirals after his best friend collapses, and silence is no longer an option.

4.26

226

📖 Verse Novel 🏒 Hockey Fiction 😰 Anxious Protagonist 👬 Male Friendship 💔 Grief And Loss

Game Face 89%

A goalie's anxiety spirals after his best friend collapses, and silence is no longer an option.

by Shari Green 2023

4.26

226 ratings

📖 Verse Novel 🏒 Hockey Fiction 😰 Anxious Protagonist 👬 Male Friendship 💔 Grief And Loss

As Brave As You

by Jason Reynolds • 2016

A city kid's summer uncovers his blind grandfather's secrets and a family's definition of bravery.

4.05

8k+

🏙️ City To Country 👴👦 Grandparent Bond 👨‍🦯 Blind Grandparent 🤫 Family Secrets 💪 Quiet Bravery

As Brave As You 89%

A city kid's summer uncovers his blind grandfather's secrets and a family's definition of bravery.

by Jason Reynolds 2016

4.05

8k+ ratings

🏙️ City To Country 👴👦 Grandparent Bond 👨‍🦯 Blind Grandparent 🤫 Family Secrets 💪 Quiet Bravery

Burned

by Ellen Hopkins • 2006

Banished to a ranch, a Mormon teen tastes a freedom her brutal father would kill for.

4.25

71k+

📝 Verse Novel ⛪ Religious Trauma 💔 Forbidden First Love 👿 Abusive Patriarch 🌅 Questioning Faith

Burned 88%

Banished to a ranch, a Mormon teen tastes a freedom her brutal father would kill for.

by Ellen Hopkins 2006

4.25

71k+ ratings

📝 Verse Novel ⛪ Religious Trauma 💔 Forbidden First Love 👿 Abusive Patriarch 🌅 Questioning Faith

Ghosts of Belle Isle

by Steven K. Smith • 2014

Chasing ghost stories onto a Civil War prison island, two brothers find the danger is real.

4.21

517

🏛️ Civil War History 👻 Ghost Stories 👥 Sibling Dynamics 🔍 Neighborhood Mystery 💪 Bullies To Face

Ghosts of Belle Isle 88%

Chasing ghost stories onto a Civil War prison island, two brothers find the danger is real.

by Steven K. Smith 2014

4.21

517 ratings

🏛️ Civil War History 👻 Ghost Stories 👥 Sibling Dynamics 🔍 Neighborhood Mystery 💪 Bullies To Face

Zoli

by Colum McCann • 2006

Symbol to the state, outcast to her people, a Roma poet walks into exile.

3.70

4k+

🏕️ Roma Culture ✍️ Poet Protagonist 🔴 Communist Era Europe 🚶 Life In Exile 📜 Cultural Erasure

Zoli 88%

Symbol to the state, outcast to her people, a Roma poet walks into exile.

by Colum McCann 2006

3.70

4k+ ratings

🏕️ Roma Culture ✍️ Poet Protagonist 🔴 Communist Era Europe 🚶 Life In Exile 📜 Cultural Erasure

Way of the Warrior Kid

by Jocko Willink • 2017

A bullied fifth-grader gets SEAL discipline when his uncle moves in for the summer.

4.51

5k+

🌱 Coming Of Age ☀️ Summer Transformation 🥋 Martial Arts Training 🤝 Bully Redemption 👨‍🏫 Family Mentor

Way of the Warrior Kid 88%

A bullied fifth-grader gets SEAL discipline when his uncle moves in for the summer.

by Jocko Willink 2017

4.51

5k+ ratings

🌱 Coming Of Age ☀️ Summer Transformation 🥋 Martial Arts Training 🤝 Bully Redemption 👨‍🏫 Family Mentor

Words on Fire

by Jennifer A. Nielsen • 2019

A Lithuanian girl must smuggle banned books to save her culture after Cossacks arrest her parents.

4.28

15k+

📦 Book Smuggling 🚫 Forbidden Books 🇷🇺 Russian Occupation 🐛 Reluctant Hero 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

Words on Fire 88%

A Lithuanian girl must smuggle banned books to save her culture after Cossacks arrest her parents.

by Jennifer A. Nielsen 2019

4.28

15k+ ratings

📦 Book Smuggling 🚫 Forbidden Books 🇷🇺 Russian Occupation 🐛 Reluctant Hero 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

The Wrong Way Home

by Kate O'Shaughnessy • 2024

After escaping her commune, Fern longs to return, but uncovering the truth might make her stay.

4.27

3k+

🏕️ Off-Grid Community 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Clash 🫂 Found Family 🐠 Fish Out Of Water 🌊 Coastal Town

The Wrong Way Home 88%

After escaping her commune, Fern longs to return, but uncovering the truth might make her stay.

by Kate O'Shaughnessy 2024

4.27

3k+ ratings

🏕️ Off-Grid Community 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Clash 🫂 Found Family 🐠 Fish Out Of Water 🌊 Coastal Town

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky • 2022

When revolution fails him, a poet retreats to the countryside and memory to rebuild his spirit.

4.39

352

🖋️ Romantic Poetry 📜 Verse Autobiography ⛰️ Sublime Landscapes 🧠 Memory And Restoration ✨ Imagination Over Reason

The Perks of Being a Wallflower 88%

When revolution fails him, a poet retreats to the countryside and memory to rebuild his spirit.

by Stephen Chbosky 2022

4.39

352 ratings

🖋️ Romantic Poetry 📜 Verse Autobiography ⛰️ Sublime Landscapes 🧠 Memory And Restoration ✨ Imagination Over Reason

Las memorias de Mamá Blanca

by Teresa de la Parra • 1929

Six sisters, a dreamy mother, a Venezuelan hacienda: an old woman's memories of paradise lost.

3.78

784

🌸 Nostalgic Girlhood 👯 Sisterhood Bonds 🌾 Rural Latin America 🌱 Coming Of Age 📖 Frame Narrative

Las memorias de Mamá Blanca 88%

Six sisters, a dreamy mother, a Venezuelan hacienda: an old woman's memories of paradise lost.

by Teresa de la Parra 1929

3.78

784 ratings

🌸 Nostalgic Girlhood 👯 Sisterhood Bonds 🌾 Rural Latin America 🌱 Coming Of Age 📖 Frame Narrative

The Labors of Hercules Beal

by Gary D. Schmidt • 2023

A grieving boy named Hercules is assigned the hero's twelve labors as a seventh-grade project.

4.48

8k+

🏫 School Project Story 💔 Loss Of Parents 📚 Mentor Teacher 🏘️ Small Town 🐕 Boy And His Dog

The Labors of Hercules Beal 88%

A grieving boy named Hercules is assigned the hero's twelve labors as a seventh-grade project.

by Gary D. Schmidt 2023

4.48

8k+ ratings

🏫 School Project Story 💔 Loss Of Parents 📚 Mentor Teacher 🏘️ Small Town 🐕 Boy And His Dog

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