What books are similar to Alchemy and Meggy Swann?

The 10 closest matches to Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman on ReadingList include Catherine, Called Birdy, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, Chinese Menu, and Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold). Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Alchemy and Meggy Swann reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–10), 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 Alchemy and Meggy Swann

If you liked Alchemy and Meggy Swann, read Catherine, Called Birdy, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), or Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

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Looking for books like Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman (Children's · grades 3–10)? 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 3–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Catherine, Called Birdygrades 4–9: Is by Karen Cushman, the same author, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold)grades 3–10: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboahgrades 3–10: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Chinese Menugrades 3–10: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold)grades 5–8: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
A Boy Called Christmasgrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Anna and the Swallow Mangrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardiangrades 3–10: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Better Nate Than Evergrades 4–9: Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Alchemy and Meggy Swann for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Bloody Jack Series by L. A. Meyer · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Dream on Amber by Emma Shevah · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell · grades 4–9 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist by Susan Wood · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).

Books like Alchemy and Meggy Swann for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Bloody Jack Series by L. A. Meyer · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Dream on Amber by Emma Shevah · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell · grades 4–9 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist by Susan Wood · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).

Books like Alchemy and Meggy Swann for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Bloody Jack Series by L. A. Meyer · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Dream on Amber by Emma Shevah · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell · grades 4–9 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9).
Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist by Susan Wood · grades 3–10 — Both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (3–10).

Common questions

What books are similar to Alchemy and Meggy Swann?: The 10 closest matches to Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman on ReadingList include Catherine, Called Birdy, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold), Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, Chinese Menu, and Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic Gold). Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Alchemy and Meggy Swann reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–10), 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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