What books are similar to Ash?

The 10 closest matches to Ash by Malinda Lo on ReadingList include Graceling, Children of Blood and Bone, Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Devilish, and Flora Segunda. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Ash reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–12), 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 Ash

If you liked Ash, read Graceling, Children of Blood and Bone, or Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

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Looking for books like Ash by Malinda Lo (Science Fiction & Fantasy · grades 5–12)? 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 5–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Gracelinggrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Children of Blood and Bonegrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavendergrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Devilishgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Flora Segundagrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Icegrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Into the Wildgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Life as We Knew Itgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Midnighters #2: Touching Darknessgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →
Peepsgrades 5–12: Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Ash for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Savvy by Ingrid Law · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
Stormwitch by Susan Vaught · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Amethyst Road by Louise Spiegler · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).

Books like Ash for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Savvy by Ingrid Law · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
Stormwitch by Susan Vaught · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Amethyst Road by Louise Spiegler · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).

Books like Ash for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Savvy by Ingrid Law · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
Stormwitch by Susan Vaught · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Amethyst Road by Louise Spiegler · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).
The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker · grades 5–12 — Both on the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade & Young Adult Fiction list, same genre (Science Fiction & Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Ash?: The 10 closest matches to Ash by Malinda Lo on ReadingList include Graceling, Children of Blood and Bone, Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Devilish, and Flora Segunda. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Ash reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–12), 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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