What books are similar to Daughter of the Stars?

The 10 closest matches to Daughter of the Stars by Phyllis A. Whitney on ReadingList include Plague Year, How to Survive Your Murder, Fake ID, One of Us Is Lying, and That's Not My Name. Each is scored on shared themes (women, families, and west virginia, fiction), 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 Daughter of the Stars 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 Daughter of the Stars

If you liked Daughter of the Stars, read Plague Year, How to Survive Your Murder, or Fake ID — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Plague Year by Stephanie S. Tolan

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Looking for books like Daughter of the Stars by Phyllis A. Whitney (Mystery · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of women, families, and west virginia, fiction. 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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Plague Yeargrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
How to Survive Your Murdergrades 9–12: Shares themes of family, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon → books like this →
Fake IDgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
One of Us Is Lyinggrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
That's Not My Namegrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Inheritance Gamesgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Man in the Woodsgrades 9–12: Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Not Quite Dead Yetgrades 7–12: Shares themes of family, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Reappearance of Rachel Pricegrades 7–12: Shares themes of family, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Eat Your Heart Outgrades 9–12: Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Daughter of the Stars for younger readers (K–2)

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

In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Mystery).
They Were Strong and Good by Robert Lawson · grades 1–4 — Shares themes of families and family.
Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick · grades K–3 — Same genre (Mystery).
Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Mystery).
Piggins by Jane Yolen · grades K–3 — Same genre (Mystery).

Books like Daughter of the Stars for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Pie by Sarah Weeks · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of families and same genre (Mystery).
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of families and same genre (Mystery).
Fig Pudding by Ralph J. Fletcher · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of families and family and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.
A Haunting in Williamsburg by Lou Kassem · grades 3–5 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and the same era (1990s).
Dead Man in Indian Creek by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and the same era (1990s).

Books like Daughter of the Stars for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Pie by Sarah Weeks · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of families and same genre (Mystery).
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of families and same genre (Mystery).
Dead Man in Indian Creek by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 4–6 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and the same era (1990s).
Spirit Seeker by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, same genre (Mystery), and the same era (1990s).
Loser by Jerry Spinelli · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of families and family and both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list.

Books like Daughter of the Stars for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Middlemarch by George Eliot · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (11–12).
Sold by Patricia McCormick · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of families and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Mystery) and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Daughter of the Stars?: The 10 closest matches to Daughter of the Stars by Phyllis A. Whitney on ReadingList include Plague Year, How to Survive Your Murder, Fake ID, One of Us Is Lying, and That's Not My Name. Each is scored on shared themes (women, families, and west virginia, fiction), 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 Daughter of the Stars 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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