Books like Taking Sides

Taking Sides by Gary Soto reads as reflective, realistic. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.

145th Street

Walter Dean Myers · 2000

Both explore coming-of-age & family

70% genome match

Tyrell

Coe Booth · 2007

Both explore family & identity

70% genome match

Drown

Junot Díaz

Both explore family & identity

68% genome match

Lot

Bryan Washington

Both explore identity & family

68% genome match

Burn baby burn

Meg Medina · 2016

Both explore coming-of-age & family

67% genome match

An Island Like You

Judith Ortiz Cofer · 1995

Both explore identity & coming-of-age

78% genome match

Bang!

Sharon G. Flake · 2005

Both explore family

62% genome match

Refugee boy

Benjamin Zephaniah · 2008

Both explore identity & family

78% genome match

Forged by fire

Sharon M. Draper · 1997

Both explore family

57% genome match

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Erika L. Sánchez

Both explore family & identity

69% genome match

The Republic of East LA

Luis J. Rodriguez · 2002

Both explore identity

59% genome match

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas · 2017

Both explore family

52% genome match