What books are similar to A Tale of Two Cities?

The 10 closest matches to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens on ReadingList include Great Expectations, The Scarlet Letter, Jane Eyre, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. Each is scored on shared themes (revolution, sacrifice, and resurrection), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like A Tale of Two Cities reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like A Tale of Two Cities

If you liked A Tale of Two Cities, read Great Expectations, The Scarlet Letter, or Jane Eyre — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens — shares class

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Looking for books like A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Historical Fiction · 1170L · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of revolution, sacrifice, and resurrection. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Great Expectations1150L: Is by Charles Dickens, the same author, shares themes of class, and both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+1 more shared list). Amazon → books like this →
The Scarlet Letter1420L: Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (1420L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →
Jane Eyre890L: Shares themes of class, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (10–12). Amazon → books like this →
A Streetcar Named Desiregrades 11–12: Shares themes of class, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhoodgrades 9–12: Shares themes of revolution, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Book Thief730L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (8–11). Amazon → books like this →
A Farewell to Armsgrades 11–12: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Billy Buddgrades 11–12: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Death and the King's Horsemangrades 11–12: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Killer Angelsgrades 9–10: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →

Books like A Tale of Two Cities for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (950L vs 1170L).
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson · 810L — Shares themes of class and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner · 550L — Shares themes of sacrifice and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis · 1000L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (1000L vs 1170L).

Books like A Tale of Two Cities for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (950L vs 1170L).
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor · 920L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (920L vs 1170L).
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep · 870L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson · 810L — Shares themes of class and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).

Books like A Tale of Two Cities for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley · 1170L — Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1170L vs 1170L).
The Odyssey by Homer · 1130L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1130L vs 1170L).
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen · 1100L — Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (1100L vs 1170L).
My Ántonia by Willa Cather · 1010L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and a close reading level (1010L vs 1170L).
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys · 560L — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (8–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to A Tale of Two Cities?: The 10 closest matches to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens on ReadingList include Great Expectations, The Scarlet Letter, Jane Eyre, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. Each is scored on shared themes (revolution, sacrifice, and resurrection), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like A Tale of Two Cities reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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