Books like Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney
After a young woman she met at an inner‑city church is murdered, fifteen‑year‑old Macey turns to a school project to honor her memory. As she delves into the case, she uncovers layers of bias and judgment lurking within her own family, particularly her grandparents, and the surrounding affluent Connecticut community. The story explores how prejudice can persist even in seemingly privileged circles and the ways a coming‑of‑age heroine confronts these hidden truths.
Macey’s journey brings to light themes of justice, family dynamics, and the battle against racism in suburban settings, while highlighting the complexities of teenage identity and the search for truth in a world full of hidden prejudices.
First publish date: 1999
Genre: Children's Fiction/Early Readers
Authors: Caroline B. Cooney
★
★
★
★
★
0.0 (0 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to Burning Up (23 similar books)
A powerful story of a Black family's battle for dignity, family, and land in Depression‑era Mississippi, seen through the eyes of eight‑year‑old Cassie Logan.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A tense and emotionally charged continuation of the Noughts & Crosses trilogy, exploring the fallout of a mixed‑heritage family in a racially divided society.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
15‑year‑old Janie Johnson discovers a missing girl’s picture on a milk carton and faces a moral dilemma between loyalty and doing what’s right.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Rashad and Quinn wrestle with the aftermath of a police assault that sparks intense racial debate, told through their alternating perspectives.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Janie Johnson discovers that the missing girl in the milk‑carton photographs of her childhood is herself—12 years after a kidnapping shatters her family. As the truth unravels, she and her sister, Jennie Spring, must decide what justice and healing look like.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A young girl wakes in a wrecked cabin with no memory, surrounded by two men debating whether to kill her. With her identity and purpose erased, she must escape and uncover the truth behind her disappearance.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Blinded 16‑year‑old Cheyenne Wilder wakes to find her car stolen in a pharmacy parking lot. Stuck in a kidnapping, she must outwit her captor, a package‑thief, who turns desperate when Cheyenne’s father is revealed to be Nike’s president.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When Janie's seemingly restored family life is shaken by her father's sudden stroke, she must juggle finances, support her mother, and confront a dangerous secret that could unravel both her families.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When Samantha Kingston suddenly dies, she wakes to the uncanny ability to relive her final day seven times over. Each repetition reveals new twists that force her to re‑evaluate friendships, love, and the choices she prized most.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A 1941 Mississippi drama in which a black youth, assaulted by two white boys, turns the tables with a tire iron and seeks escape with Cassie's help.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Five very different girls share a dream of a perfect Saturday night at the Autumn Leaves Dance, but nothing will stay the same when their plans collide and life‑changing surprises unfold.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Seventeen‑year‑old Kay Wyatt’s rock‑climbing adventure leads to a lifesaving encounter with the dragon Artegal, sparking a fragile friendship amid a tense, breaking truce between dragons and humans.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A ghostly romance in an industrialized Asia where teenagers fall in love with different classes and backgrounds.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Fifteen‑year‑old Annabel Jayquith, daughter of a billionaire, falls in love with Daniel Madison Ransom, son of an assassinated senator, only to discover their families hide a violent secret that forces their romance to become forbidden.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In 1926 South Carolina, nine‑year‑old Darby Carmichael writes a story for the local paper that champions racial equality, sparking debate in Marlboro County.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In a tight‑knit town, a shocking murder places a respected family under scrutiny, thrusting siblings into a tense web of suspicion and family secrets.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
Whatever Happened to Mel? by Caroline B. CooneyThe Wind Blows by Carolyn Bradford
Among the Missing by Maureen Johnson
The Last True Love Story by Kylie Scott
Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!