What books are similar to Duel?

The 10 closest matches to Duel by Jessixa Bagley on ReadingList include Wildful, Four Eyes: A Graphic Novel, Swim Team, Roll for Initiative, and The Lost Year. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, sisters, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Duel reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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 Duel

If you liked Duel, read Wildful, Four Eyes: A Graphic Novel, or Swim Team — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto — shares grief and family

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Looking for books like Duel by Jessixa Bagley (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of grief, sisters, and family. 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Wildfulgrades 4–8: Shares themes of grief and family, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Four Eyes: A Graphic Novelgrades 3–7: Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Swim Teamgrades 3–7: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Roll for Initiativegrades 4–8: Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Lost Yeargrades 6–8: Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8: Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Labors of Hercules Bealgrades 3–7: Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself500L: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
New Kidgrades 4–8: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Roller Girl440L: Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief and family.
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s).
Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (5–8).
Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2020s).
The Night Train by Lorelei Savaryn · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness · grades 4–8 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–8), and the same era (2020s).
Global by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2020s).
Juniper Mae by Sarah Soh · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2020s).
Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (5–8).
Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2020s).

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

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

Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of grief.
The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of grief.
Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (6–9).
Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt · grades 6–9 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2020s).
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger · 790L — Shares themes of grief.

Common questions

What books are similar to Duel?: The 10 closest matches to Duel by Jessixa Bagley on ReadingList include Wildful, Four Eyes: A Graphic Novel, Swim Team, Roll for Initiative, and The Lost Year. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, sisters, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Duel reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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