Books like Eli the Good by Silas House
The Bicentennial summer lights up the sky with fireworks, and Bob Seger blares from a transistor radio, but for ten‑year‑old Eli Book, the year 1976 threatens to unravel his family. His mother is beautiful and seemingly distant, his father a Vietnam veteran haunted by wartime nightmares, his sister is wild and confused, and a war‑protester aunt moves in under mysterious circumstances. Eli’s closest ally is Edie, his best friend, who allows him to be himself. As tempers flare and conflict rises, Eli watches from the sidelines but soon cannot escape the current of family tension. Thinly veiled against a Southern backdrop, the novel captures the complexities of childhood, the realities of war, and the enduring bonds of friendship amid the cultural backdrop of the mid‑1970s.
First publish date: 2009
Genre: Children's Fiction/Early Readers
Authors: Silas House
★
★
★
★
★
0.0 (0 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for Eli the Good by Silas House 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 Eli the Good (25 similar books)
A coming‑of‑age epistolary novel that follows introverted teen Charlie through his freshman year in a 1990s Pittsburgh suburb as he navigates high school, friendship and the challenges of adolescence.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Eleven-year-old Melody, a girl with cerebral palsy and a photographic memory, cannot speak, walk, or write. Living inside her thoughts, she discovers a way to finally speak out, challenging the world’s assumptions about her abilities.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When an eccentric new student named Stargirl arrives at Mica Area High School, her vibrant individuality challenges the school’s strict norm of conformity, sparking a tense battle with popularity and a budding first love for classmate Leo.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Junior, a budding cartoonist from the Spokane Indian Reservation, transfers to an all‑white farm‑town high school, where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A heart-wrenching coming-of-age story of poverty and resilience in 1930s Brooklyn.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Seventeen‑year‑old Lucille juggles bills, caring for her little sister, while her father is institutionalized and her mother is away. Her life takes a new turn when she meets Digby Jones, her best friend’s twin brother.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In this Steinbeck novella, soldiers’ arrival exposes the fragile resilience of a small town amidst the looming tensions of World War II.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey head into the summer before seventh grade, each faces a major life change that will set the stage for the Baby‑Sitters Club and shape their future friendships.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A Caldecott‑Medal‑winning, illustrated biography of Robert Lawson’s pioneer family, depicting their migration, marriage, and daily life in the American frontier.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After Ever After follows Jeff and Tad, two eighth‑graders whose cancer treatments shape their friendship, as they help each other prepare for graduation while seeking guidance from family and new friends in New Jersey.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Seventeen‑year‑old Janey King's life pivots when her parents separate and a senior asks her out, forcing her to re‑evaluate track, friendships, family and her own future.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When Sophie's parents start to break up, she and her best friends turn Fiona's tree house into a space station for a school science project, battling sabotage and jealousy while discovering the power of friendship and imagination.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When Bean’s grandfather dies, her life turns upside‑down as she uncovers hidden truths about her family, her mother, and a father she never knew.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Clara Shin’s mischief lands her on her dad’s food‑truck crew, where she works beside uptight classmate Rose Carver—forcing them both to confront summer expectations and the uneasy dance of growing up.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When the Swift boys’ father abandons them, their friendship with Nola Sutton is tested as they pull away and she must face the erosion of her own support system amid family turmoil.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A young man grieves the loss of his brother and begins to document the lives of the deceased.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When fourteen‑year‑old Maisie Willard claims a touch on the back of the school bus, the town is plunged into rumors, legal battles, and a crisis of truth that forces her, her friends, and their families to confront lies and self‑deception.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Set during the American Civil War, "In My Father’s House" follows seven‑year‑old Osceola McLean as her family’s Maryland home becomes a haven for Confederates, a meeting point for peace talks, and a stage for moral conflict.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Deja anxiously prepares for her eighth birthday, hoping her dad will attend. When her aunt is sent away on business and a classmate schedules a surprise party that same day, Deja’s plans quickly unravel.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A witty YA rom‑com about two seventh‑grade kids navigating friendship, first love, and self‑discovery as they untangle missteps and hidden feelings in a middle‑school setting.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In the boarding halls of Saint Francis Prep, three friends—Mira, Jeremy, and Sebby—confront love, bullying, foster care, and mental health challenges while striving to uphold friendship and family bonds.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After Maribel’s life‑saving recovery, the Rivera family seeks a new life in Delaware, but cultural and linguistic hurdles threaten to derail their hopes for the American Dream.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After her brother Simon’s drowning, fifteen‑year‑old Francesca learns to heal while caring for a boy named Frankie who feels like Simon reincarnated, and she discovers new closeness with her best friend’s boyfriend.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
The wonders of the invisible world by Andrew TaylorHave a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!