Books like 'Home is Not a Country'
Readers who enjoyed Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy magical-realism family realistic poc-mc coming-of-age religion bullying friendship
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Dark Mother Earth by Kristian Novak
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn amnesiac writer’s life of lies and false memories reaches a breaking point in this stunning English-language debut from an award-winning Croatian author.As a novelist, Matija makes things up for a living. Not yet thirty, he’s written two well-received books. It’s his third that is as big a failure as his private life... -
The Girl and the Goddess: Stories and Poems of Divine Wisdom by Nikita Gill
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBestselling poet, writer, and Instagram sensation Nikita Gill returns with a collection of poetry and prose exploring Hindu mythology and legend.Let her be a little less human, a little more divineGive her heart armor so it doesn't break as easily as mineMeet Paro. A girl with a strong will, a full heart, and much to learn... -
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsACE 1250043220 (ISBN13: 9781250043221)Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . .Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood...Categorized as:
bullying family friendship historical-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism poc-mc -
The Last Present by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDon't miss the latest entry in the incredible Willow Falls series by Wendy Mass!Amanda and Leo have a history with birthdays. Now their friend's little sister, Grace, has fallen into a strange frozen state on her birthday, and Amanda and Leo must travel in time in order to fix whatever's wrong. As they journey back to each of Grace's birthdays, they start seeing all sorts of patterns . .Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship low-fantasy magic magical-realism realistic action-adventure -
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Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSet in the mythical Polish village of Primeval, a microcosm of the world populated with eccentric, archetypal characters and guarded by four archangels, this novel from Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk chronicles the lives of the inhabitants over the course of the feral 20th century in prose that is forceful, direct, and the stylistic cousin of the magic realism in Gabriel García Márquez's One...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism religion spirituality -
The Oversoul Seven Trilogy: The Education of Oversoul Seven, The Further Education of Oversoul Seven, Oversoul Seven and the Museum of Time by Jane Roberts, Robert F. Butts
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJane Roberts has contributed to The Oversoul Seven Trilogy as an author.Roberts was considered one of the most important psychics of the twentieth century...Categorized as:
literary-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism spirituality adult anthologies contemporary fiction -
The Very Best of Charles de Lint by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAt turns whimsical, dark, and mystical, this extraordinary collection of retold fairy tales and new, modern myths redefine the boundaries of magic. Compiling favored stories suggested by the author and his fans, this delightful treasury contains the most esteemed and beloved selections that de Lint has to offer...Categorized as:
literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism poc-mc anthologies contemporary fiction -
Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEcho Brown is a wizard from the East Side, where apartments are small and parents suffer addictions to the white rocks. Yet there is magic . . . everywhere. New portals begin to open when Echo transfers to the rich school on the West Side, and an insightful teacher becomes a pivotal mentor... -
The Wild Book by Juan Villoro, Lawrence Schimel
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom one of Mexico’s foremost authors comes a wondrous adventure story of a boy who goes to live with his kooky, book-obsessed uncle in a library where books have supernatural powers."We walked toward the part of the library where the air smelled as if it had been interred for years…. -
Chalk by Bill Thomson
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThree children discover a magical bag of chalk on a rainy... -
Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life by Helen Fisher
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA thoroughly uplifting novel about a neurodivergent young man who unexpectedly builds a community and saves a friend in need by following—in a way only he can—his mother’s words of wisdom.Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like dinner and dessert. Mean Charlie at work sometimes calls him Joe-Nuthin. But Joe is far from nothing...Categorized as:
literary-fiction friendship magical-realism low-fantasy fiction contemporary audiobook fantasy -
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsYears ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.“Clever, dark, and hopeful . . -
The Insiders by Mark Oshiro, Avi Roque
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThree kids who don’t belong. A room that shouldn’t exist. A year that will change everything.Perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and Meg Medina, this debut middle grade novel from award-winning author Mark Oshiro is a hopeful and heartfelt coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in...Categorized as:
bullying coming-of-age friendship low-fantasy magic magical-realism poc-mc realistic -
When the Butterflies Came by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEverybody thinks Tara Doucet has the perfect life. But in reality, Tara’s life is anything but perfect: Her dear Grammy Claire has just passed away, her mother is depressed and distant, and she and her sister Riley can’t seem to agree on anything...Categorized as:
family friendship literary-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism realistic animals book -
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The Shiver by Jakub Małecki
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsONLY ONE CHAPTER - 1938-1969 One of the most renowned books of 2015.Polish bestseller.The book compared to the works of Johnatan Carroll, Fiodor Dostojewski, Andy Weir and Jurij Andruchowycz.The novel has been recommended by the best Polish Wiesław Myśliwski, Jacek Dukaj, Szczepan Twardoch, Wit Szostak.Masterly prose wrapped in magical realism...Categorized as:
literary-fiction magical-realism historical-fiction family fiction contemporary audiobook fantasy -
Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"A lost young woman returns to small-town New Hampshire under the strangest of circumstances in this one-of-a-kind novel of life, death, and whatever comes after from the acclaimed author of Rabbit Cake. The Starlings live in Everton, an ordinary enough New Hampshire town...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction literary-fiction magical-realism realistic adult animals book -
Ella: An Amish Retelling of Cinderella by Sarah Price
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn Sarah Price’s heartwarming Amish version of this best-loved fairytale, a hardworking, overlooked young woman is rewarded in unexpected ways . . . “Be kind and have faith.” Ella Troyer strives to abide by her mother’s final words, although life in the small Amish town of Echo Creek isn’t always easy...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction literary-fiction religion spirituality adult book christian -
The Last Girl by Susan Ward
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWe were a scandal waiting to happen. But I didn’t care. For years my life had already been an unending downward spiral. Then my grandfather, Jack, gave me an apartment no one knew about. A secret bequest after his death, and the brief note that accompanied the gift sent me running to Italy. I’d gone to Venice to find peace, knowing I was weak, and instead I found him...Categorized as:
realistic literary-fiction coming-of-age religion spirituality romance contemporary fiction -
Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFrom New York Times bestselling authors Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins comes the hilarious and heartfelt story of a group of magical misfits. Nory Horace is nine years old. She's resourceful, she's brave, she likes peanut butter cookies. Also, she's able to transform into many different animals. Unfortunately, Nory's shape-shifting talent is a bit wonky... -
さみしかった本 by Kate Bernheimer, ケイト バーンハイマー
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen a wonderful new book arrives at the library, at first it is loved by all, checked out constantly, and rarely spends a night on the library shelf. But over time it grows old and worn, and the children lose interest in its story. The book is sent to the library's basement where the other faded books live... -
A Pocketful of Stars by Aisha Bushby
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen I next open my eyes, I’m back . . . in front of the house again.It’s night time. The stars wave hello, like they’ve been expecting me.The door of the house, Mum’s house, is wide open, like it expects me too.This time, I go inside . . .Safiya and her mum have never seen eye to eye. Her mum doesn’t understand Safiya’s love of gaming and Safiya doesn't think they have anything in common...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism poc-mc spirituality audiobook -
Once Upon a Book by Grace Lin, Kate Messner
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom Caldecott and Newbery Honoree Grace Lin and bestselling author Kate Messner comes a modern folktale about the joy of reading.Once upon a time, there was a girl. She went to a place alive with colors, where even the morning dew was warm. Alice loves to imagine herself in the magical pages of her favorite book...Categorized as:
family poc-mc magical-realism low-fantasy fantasy children-books action-adventure fiction -
Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA dying girl gives a boy the strength to live in this lyrical novel that will break your heart and lift your spirit Peter Stone’s parents and siblings are extroverts, musicians, and yellers—and the louder they get, the less Peter talks, or even moves, until he practically fits his last name...Categorized as:
bullying family friendship low-fantasy magic magical-realism realistic action-adventure -
In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFinding your way is never a simple journey…Alice sees the best in people.She also sees the worst.She sees a thousand different emotions and knows exactly what everyone around her is feeling.Every. Single. Day.But it’s the dark thoughts.The sadness. The rage.These are the things she can’t get out of her head. The things that overwhelm her...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction magical-realism low-fantasy fiction contemporary fantasy audiobook -
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The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEverywhere, the birds: sparrows and skylarks and thrushes, starlings and bellbirds, fantails and pipits – but above them all and louder, the magpies. We are here and this is our tree and we’re staying and it is ours and you need to leave and now.Tama is just a helpless chick when he is rescued by Marnie, and this is where his story might have ended...Categorized as:
literary-fiction magical-realism family historical-fiction realistic low-fantasy fiction fantasy -
What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsA dazzlingly accomplished debut collection explores the ties that bind parents and children, husbands and wives, lovers and friends to one another and to the places they call home. In “Who Will Greet You at Home,” a National Magazine Award finalist for The New Yorker, A woman desperate for a child weaves one out of hair, with unsettling results... -
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAfter the tragic death of his beloved musician father, fourteen-year-old Benny Oh begins to hear voices. The voices belong to the things in his house - a sneaker, a broken Christmas ornament, a piece of wilted lettuce...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction magic magical-realism poc-mc religion spirituality -
Portable Childhoods by Ellen Klages, Neil Gaiman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEmerging from a unique and powerful voice, this innovative collection offers a tantalizing glimpse of what lies hidden just beyond the ordinary, skirting the border between childhood and adulthood...Categorized as:
literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism anthologies contemporary fiction lgbtq -
The Stars of Whistling Ridge by Cindy Baldwin
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIvy Mae Bloom, whose name is one letter away from a complete sentence, has lived her entire life on the road. Her mama is a fallen star who travels near and far to tend to the magic that underpins our world... -
The Infinity Year of Avalon James by Dana Middleton
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAvalon James and Atticus Brightwell have a secret--one that they aren't allowed to discuss with anyone. This secret is shared between two best friends. When you and your best friend turn ten years old magical things are said to happen. You both will receive some kind of magical power. It can be a power you can call on time and time again. Or it can be a power that comes once when you need it most... -
The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe much-anticipated new fantasy series from Ransom Riggs, his first since introducing the #1 global phenomenon Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won’t leave him alone...Categorized as:
magic friendship coming-of-age magical-realism low-fantasy fantasy young-adult fiction -
A Lifetime of Impossible Days by Tabitha Bird
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA thoughtful, uplifting and magical story of childhood, family and finding ways to change the inevitable . . .Meet Willa Waters, aged 8 . . . 33 . . . and 93.On one impossible day in.1965, eight-year-old Willa Waters receives a mysterious box containing a jar of water and the instruction: 'One ocean: plant in the backyard...Categorized as:
family friendship literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism action-adventure adult -
The Bone Fire by György Dragomán
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom an award-winning European writer, a Gothic page-turner with all the menace and promise of a fairy tale In the aftermath of a revolution that has plunged her country into chaos, thirteen-year-old Emma’s small corner of the world is shattered after her dissident parents' death in a car crash... -
Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDarnmoor, The Gateway to Happiness. The sign taunts a fool into feeling some sense of achievement, some kind of end- that you have reached a destination in the very least. Yet as the sign states, Darnmoor is merely a gateway, a waypoint on the road to where you really want to be.Darnmoor is the home of the Billymil family, three generations who have lived in this 'gateway town'...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magical-realism literary-fiction poc-mc family fiction contemporary audiobook -
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Timeskipper by Stefano Benni
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the author of Margherita Dolce Vita One late-winter morning as he is "hop-hiking" downhill toward his character-building destination, a vomit-yellow cube surrounded by a garden of barbarously unkempt weeds known as the Bisacconi elementary school, Stefano Benni's young hero encounters a peculiar man--as big as a mountain and as filthy as a garbage dump, with a vast beard the color of a...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism adult book contemporary fiction -
The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman by Louis de Bernières
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe epic finale of the Latin American trilogy following The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts and Senor Vivo and the Coca LordWhile the economy of his small South American country collapses, President Veracruz joins his improbable populace of ex-soldiers, former guerrillas, unfrocked priests and reformed - though by no means inactive - whores, in a bizarre search for sexual fulfilment...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism 20th-century adult -
The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThis is Thomas King’s first literary novel in 15 years and follows on the success of the award-winning and bestselling The Inconvenient Indian and his beloved Green Grass, Running Water and Truth and Bright Water, both of which continue to be taught in Canadian schools and universities. Green Grass, Running Water is widely considered a contemporary Canadian classic...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction literary-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism poc-mc realistic adult -
Purplicious by Victoria Kann, Elizabeth Kann
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt's purple Pinkalicious! Pinkalicious loves the color pink, but all the girls at school like black. They tease her, saying that pink stinks and pink is for babies. But Pinkalicious doesn't think so that is, until her friends stop playing with her. Now Pinkalicious has a case of the blues... -
The View from the Seventh Layer by Kevin Brockmeier
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsKevin Brockmeier--award -winning author of The Brief History of the Dead--has been widely praised for the richness of his imagination, the lyrical grace and playfulness of his language, and the empathic emotional complexity of his storytelling. And this dazzling collection once again affirms his place as one of the most creative and compassionate writers of his generation...Categorized as:
literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism anthologies audiobook contemporary fiction -
Green Frog: Stories by Gina Chung
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA short story collection that explores Korean American womanhood, bodies, animals, and transformation as a means of survival...Categorized as:
magical-realism historical-fiction poc-mc literary-fiction realistic family low-fantasy fiction -
The Knife Thrower and Other Stories by Steven Millhauser
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Knife Thrower introduces a series of distinctively Millhauserian worlds: tiny, fabulous, self-enclosed, like Fabergé eggs or like the short-story genre itself...Categorized as:
literary-fiction low-fantasy magic magical-realism adult anthologies audiobook contemporary -
Blue-Skinned Gods by S.J. Sindu
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the award-winning author of Marriage of a Thousand Lies comes a brilliantly written, globe-spanning novel about identity, faith, family, and sexuality.In Tamil Nadu, India, a boy is born with blue skin... -
Lost Coast Literary by Ellie Alexander
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBook editor Emily Bryant finds herself unexpectedly in the charming town of Cascata on California’s Lost Coast, holding the keys to her grandmother’s rambling Victorian mansion. While sorting through her grandmother’s things, Emily learns that she must edit old manuscripts to inherit the estate. It’s a strange request from a family member who was basically a stranger...Categorized as:
magical-realism literary-fiction family realistic magic coming-of-age low-fantasy fiction -
The Miraculous by Jess Redman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEleven-year-old Wunder Ellis is a miracologist. In a journal he calls The Miraculous, he records stories of the inexplicable and the extraordinary. These miracles fill Wunder with the feeling that he is not alone, that the world is magical, that he is part of something brighter than he can imagine.But then his newborn sister dies, at only eight days old...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship low-fantasy magic magical-realism realistic religion -
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Before You Go by Tommy Butler
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this “dazzling debut” (Publishers Weekly), the moving story of one man’s quest for happiness is interwoven with speculative tales of the Before and After, resulting in a profound yet playful literary journey into the ache and wonder of being human.In the Before, humankind is created with a hole in its heart, the designers not realizing their mistake—if it was a mistake—until too late...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship literary-fiction low-fantasy magical-realism adult audiobook book -
Santa Lucia by Michelle Damiani
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsStorybook Italian villages only seem innocent. Surrounded by glimmering olive groves and embellished with flower-lined alleys, it would be easy to believe that Santa Lucia is as idyllic as it appears. After all, what drama could possibly unfold in such a picturesque village? As it happens, Santa Lucia is rife with secrets that are swapped over espresso at the local bar...Categorized as:
coming-of-age magical-realism literary-fiction family historical-fiction friendship romance fiction -
The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOn a train filled with quietly sleeping passengers, a young man’s life is forever altered when he is miraculously seen by a blind man. In a quiet town an American teacher who has lost her Japanese lover to death begins to lose her own self. On a remote road amid fallow rice fields, four young friends carefully take their own lives—and in that moment they become almost as one...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction magical-realism realistic adult anthologies contemporary epic -
The Lonely Ones by Kelsey Sutton
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFain hasn’t always been lonely. Her family used to be close; she used to have good friends. But as circumstances—and people—changed, Fain was left behind. That's when the monsters appeared.While her parents argue and her peers and siblings either pick on or simply ignore her, Fain spends time in a world of her own making... -
All the Names They Used for God by Anjali Sachdeva
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA haunting, diverse debut story collection that explores the isolation we experience in the face of the mysterious, often dangerous forces that shape our livesAnjali Sachdeva's debut collection spans centuries, continents, and a diverse set of characters but is united by each character's epic struggle with fate: A workman in Andrew Carnegie's steel mills is irrevocably changed by the brutal... -
Friend or Fiction by Abby Cooper
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne creative middle-schooler schooler discovers that the best friend a girl can have is the one she makes herself in this charming magical realism read.Jade's life hasn't exactly been normal lately, especially since her dad's cancer diagnosis...
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