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Boy in the Tower

Polly Ho-Yen

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Combine common axes

Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for Boy in the Tower. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: young boy, brave child, resourceful child, lovely narrator, young carer, agoraphobic mother, sick mother, depressed mother, older neighbors, caretaker, best friend, found family, outcast friend, partially deaf friend

Relationships labels used: mother and son, best friends, found family, neighbors, community support, caregiving, dependence, mutual support, loyalty, friendship, camaraderie, sacrifice

This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization + relationships embeddings are close.

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Crank Palace

James Dashner · 2020 · The Maze Runner

A Newt-centered Maze Runner novella follows his final days as the Flare worsens and a last chance at purpose appears.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: caring friend · protective · brave · self-sacrificing · morally good · mentally deteriorating · complex character · nurturing · young mother · child character

Relationships labels: best friends · found family · friendship · mother-son · caretaking · separation

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1466

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The First State of Being

Erin Entrada Kelly · 2024

In 1999, an anxious boy meets a teen time traveler and gets pulled into a race between future knowledge and present life.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: anxious protagonist · shy boy · parentified child · single mother · maintenance man · older babysitter · time traveler · carefree teen · supportive adults · flawed characters · likeable characters · lonely child · socially awkward

Relationships labels: mother son · crush · babysitter relationship · friendship · found family · mentor-like bond · neighborly care · peer friendship · community support

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1576

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It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit

Justin A. Reynolds · 2022 · It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit

A Black tween’s laundry-avoidance scheme derails into a blackout mystery that leaves him and his friends alone in the neighborhood.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: tween protagonist · Black boy protagonist · ADHD · snarky narrator · likable protagonist · vulnerable narrator · neurodivergent character · stepfamily adjustment · grieving child · funny kid · bossy mother · stepfather · annoying older brother · best friend group

Relationships labels: mother-son · stepfather stepson · siblings · friend group · crush · peer bonding · family tension · community friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1837

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The Blue Book of Nebo

Manon Steffan Ros · 2021

A mother and son survive a post-nuclear collapse in rural Wales by rebuilding life, language, and trust.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: mother · son · teenage protagonist · infant survivor · resourceful · adaptive · mature for age · caretaker · forager · handyman · hairdresser (pre-apocalypse) · reader · secretive · resilient

Relationships labels: mother-son bond · parent-child dependence · family unit · protective caregiving · shared secrets · intergenerational tension · sibling care · mutual reliance · emotional closeness

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1853

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One Way Ticket to Earth

Daniele Vaccaro · 2023

A grieving boy is reborn on an alien world and must choose between a perfect new life and the home he remembers.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young boy · grieving child · homesick · determined · emotionally attached · lovable · parents · friendship bond

Relationships labels: parent-child · family bond · friendship · soul family · love across lifetimes · longing for parents · community

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1877

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Boy 2.0

Tracey Baptiste · 2024 · Boy 2.0

A foster kid discovers invisibility after a terrifying encounter and must uncover his origins while deciding whom to trust.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: foster child · Black boy · young teen · wary protagonist · artistic protagonist · resourceful · curious · tenacious · reluctant trust · lovable protagonist · psychiatrist parent · best friend · new siblings

Relationships labels: found family · foster family · friendship · best friend · sibling bond · adult-child trust · trust issues · community support · caregiver relationship · parent-child separation · surveillance and pursuit

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1879

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The Trouble with Perfect

Helena Duggan · 2019 · Perfect

When stolen children and a framed friend threaten her town, Violet must uncover who is behind the new trouble.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: brave heroine · child detective · best friend · framed boy · mischievous child · stubborn heroine · protective mother · sinister twins · supportive side characters · children act like children

Relationships labels: friendship · best friends · family conflict · siblings · mother-son · community trust · betrayal · adult-child tension

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1898

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Not Alone

Sarah K. Jackson · 2023

After a microplastic catastrophe, a mother and son leave isolation to search for survival—and a possible lost future.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: protective mother · young child · traumatized protagonist · survivor · resourceful forager · whiny child · isolated caregiver · cautious protagonist · fierce maternal figure

Relationships labels: mother son · fiancée relationship · parent child bond · romantic loss · survival dependency · caretaking · trust issues · protective love · community encounter

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1922

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This Fragile Earth

Susannah Wise · 2021

In near-future London, a mother and son flee as a tech-dependent society suddenly shuts down.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: young mother · protective parent · precocious child · clever child · anxious protagonist · resourceful woman · frustrated parent · difficult protagonist · unlikeable protagonist · weak partner · single parent · unreliable protagonist · survival-minded

Relationships labels: mother son bond · strained marriage · co-parenting · family loyalty · parent child protection · relationship under pressure · survival partnership · protective caregiving · romantic fracture

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1924

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Otherwood

Pete Hautman · 2018

Two children’s woodland hideout leads them into a reality-splitting mystery tied to family secrets and loss.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: imaginative children · lonely boy · bossy girl · best friends · shy protagonist · grieving child · overprotective mother · loving grandfather · family-drawn adults · unstable adult memory

Relationships labels: best friends · soulmates · childhood friendship · family feud · grandparent-grandchild · mother-child · parent conflict · childhood companionship · intergenerational rivalry · community suspicion

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1976

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The Clockwork Three

Matthew J. Kirby · 2010

Three struggling children in a late-1800s city discover that helping one another may be the key to freedom.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: orphan · street musician · busker · hotel maid · clockmaker's apprentice · young inventor · child laborer · immigrant child · breadwinner · invalid parent · curious child · determined child · soft-hearted · strong-willed · intense · guarded · brave children · damaged protagonists · villainous adults · abusive guardian · kind mentor · mysterious adult · medium · fortune teller

Relationships labels: friendship · found family · sibling duty · parent-child responsibility · mentor-apprentice · oppression · abuse · dependency · cooperation · mutual aid · trust · community support

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1977

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Beautyland

Marie-Helene Bertino · 2024

An alien girl raised on Earth sends faxed observations about humans while struggling to understand belonging and home.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: alienated protagonist · observant · lonely · sensitive · quirky · witty · tender · brave · childhood outsider · working-class · single mother · friendship-centered · misfit · bookish observer · homebound

Relationships labels: mother-daughter · best friend · female friendship · romantic relationship · friendship · family bonds · community connection · belonging

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1986

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