What books are similar to Bridge to Terabithia?

The 10 closest matches to Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson on ReadingList include Jacob Have I Loved, Tuck Everlasting, The Westing Game, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and James and the Giant Peach. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, imagination, and grief and loss), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Bridge to Terabithia reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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 Bridge to Terabithia

If you liked Bridge to Terabithia, read Jacob Have I Loved, Tuck Everlasting, or The Westing Game — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

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Looking for books like Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Children's Fiction · 810L · grades 4–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, imagination, and grief and loss. 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 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Jacob Have I Lovedgrades 3–7: Is by Katherine Paterson, the same author, both on the Newbery Medal list, and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Tuck Everlasting770L: Shares themes of rural childhood, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (770L vs 810L). Amazon → books like this →
The Westing Game750L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists), a close reading level (750L vs 810L), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
The Great Gilly Hopkinsgrades 4–6: Is by Katherine Paterson, the same author, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
James and the Giant Peach870L: Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (870L vs 810L). Amazon → books like this →
Out of the Dust740L: Shares themes of grief and loss, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (740L vs 810L). Amazon → books like this →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (770L vs 810L). Amazon → books like this →
Charlotte's Web680L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Children's Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (820L vs 810L). Amazon → books like this →
The BFG720L: Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (720L vs 810L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Bridge to Terabithia for younger readers (K–2)

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

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak · 740L — Shares themes of imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (740L vs 810L).
No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons · grades K–2 — Shares themes of friendship and imagination and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
Corduroy by Don Freeman · 600L — Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (600L vs 810L).
How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide by Ame Dyckman · grades K–2 — Shares themes of imagination and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship and imagination.

Books like Bridge to Terabithia for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak · 740L — Shares themes of imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (740L vs 810L).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (790L vs 810L), and the same era (1970s).
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl · 810L — Shares themes of imagination and a close reading level (810L vs 810L).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Shares themes of imagination and a close reading level (830L vs 810L).
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead · 750L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 810L).

Books like Bridge to Terabithia for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (790L vs 810L), and the same era (1970s).
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl · 810L — Shares themes of imagination and a close reading level (810L vs 810L).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Shares themes of imagination and a close reading level (830L vs 810L).
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead · 750L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 810L).
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like Bridge to Terabithia for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë · 890L — Shares themes of class, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (890L vs 810L).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 810L).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (850L vs 810L).
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens · 1170L — Shares themes of class and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini · 840L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (840L vs 810L).

Common questions

What books are similar to Bridge to Terabithia?: The 10 closest matches to Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson on ReadingList include Jacob Have I Loved, Tuck Everlasting, The Westing Game, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and James and the Giant Peach. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, imagination, and grief and loss), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Bridge to Terabithia reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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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