What books are similar to A Wrinkle in Time?

The 10 closest matches to A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle on ReadingList include The Crossover, The Giver, Walk Two Moons, Holes, and The Tale of Despereaux. Each is scored on shared themes (good vs evil, scientific imagination, and individuality), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like A Wrinkle in Time reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–7), 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 Wrinkle in Time

If you liked A Wrinkle in Time, read The Crossover, The Giver, or Walk Two Moons — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

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Looking for books like A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Children's Science Fiction · 740L · grades 5–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of good vs evil, scientific imagination, and individuality. 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 5–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Crossover750L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
The Giver760L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (760L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (770L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (660L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
The Tale of Despereaux670L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (670L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Stargirlgrades 6–9: Shares themes of individuality and conformity and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
The One and Only Ivan570L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (570L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of good vs evil and a close reading level (880L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh890L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (890L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like A Wrinkle in Time for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (750L vs 740L), and the same era (1960s).
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak · 740L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (740L vs 740L), and the same era (1960s).
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña · 610L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (610L vs 740L).
A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of individuality and overlapping grades (2–8).
Tacky the Penguin by Lester, Helen. · grades K–3 — Shares themes of individuality.

Books like A Wrinkle in Time for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (750L vs 740L), and the same era (1960s).
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg · 700L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (700L vs 740L), and the same era (1960s).
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan · 740L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (740L vs 740L).
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse · 740L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (740L vs 740L).
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).

Books like A Wrinkle in Time for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg · 700L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (700L vs 740L), and the same era (1960s).
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan · 740L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (740L vs 740L).
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson · 690L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (690L vs 740L).
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse · 740L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (740L vs 740L).
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).

Books like A Wrinkle in Time for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson · 690L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (690L vs 740L).
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley · 870L — Shares themes of individuality, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (870L vs 740L).
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury · 890L — Shares themes of conformity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (890L vs 740L).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list and a close reading level (800L vs 740L).
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen · grades 11–12 — Shares themes of individuality and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.

Common questions

What books are similar to A Wrinkle in Time?: The 10 closest matches to A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle on ReadingList include The Crossover, The Giver, Walk Two Moons, Holes, and The Tale of Despereaux. Each is scored on shared themes (good vs evil, scientific imagination, and individuality), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like A Wrinkle in Time reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–7), 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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