Books like Ender's Game

Looking for books like Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (Young Adult Fiction · 780L · grades 6–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of war, leadership, and identity. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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 6–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Ender's Game

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Why each is a match

The Poet X800L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (800L vs 780L).
The Outsiders750L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 780L).
Speak690L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 780L).
American Born Chinese530L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (530L vs 780L).
Everything We Never Hadgrades 7–12
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12).
Never Thought I'd End Up Heregrades 7–12
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12).
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhoodgrades 9–12
Shares themes of war and identity and overlapping grades (9–12).
Shut Up, This Is Seriousgrades 9–12
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Forbidden Bookgrades 7–12
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12).
The Silence That Binds Usgrades 9–12
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).

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