What books are similar to Frankenstein?

The 10 closest matches to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley on ReadingList include I'm the King of the Castle, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults). Each is scored on shared themes (ambition and hubris, responsibility for creation, and nature vs nurture), 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 Frankenstein 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 Frankenstein

If you liked Frankenstein, read I'm the King of the Castle, Pride and Prejudice, or A Tale of Two Cities — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill — shares isolation

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Looking for books like Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Gothic Fiction · 1170L · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of ambition and hubris, responsibility for creation, and nature vs nurture. 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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I'm the King of the Castlegrades 9–10: Shares themes of isolation and overlapping grades (9–10). Amazon → books like this →
Pride and Prejudice1100L: Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+3 more shared lists), a close reading level (1100L vs 1170L), and the same era (1810s). Amazon → books like this →
A Tale of Two Cities1170L: Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1170L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →
Great Expectations1150L: Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (1150L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults)1130L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and a close reading level (1130L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →
The Odyssey1130L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and a close reading level (1130L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →
A Separate Peace1110L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and a close reading level (1110L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →
19841090L: Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1090L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time1090L: Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list and a close reading level (1090L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →
Their Eyes Were Watching God1080L: Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1080L vs 1170L). Amazon → books like this →

Common questions

What books are similar to Frankenstein?: The 10 closest matches to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley on ReadingList include I'm the King of the Castle, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults). Each is scored on shared themes (ambition and hubris, responsibility for creation, and nature vs nurture), 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 Frankenstein 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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Books like Frankenstein

10 books similar to Frankenstein

Why each is a match

Common questions

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