What books are similar to Heroes?

The 10 closest matches to Heroes by Alan Gratz on ReadingList include The Lost Year, Ground Zero, Refugee, Simon Sort of Says, and Not Nothing. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, friendship, and history), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Heroes reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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 Heroes

If you liked Heroes, read The Lost Year, Ground Zero, or Refugee — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh — shares history

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Looking for books like Heroes by Alan Gratz (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of courage, friendship, and history. 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 6–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Lost Yeargrades 6–8: Shares themes of history, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
Ground Zerogrades 6–8: Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Refugee800L: Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8: Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Not Nothinggrades 4–8: Shares themes of friendship and history, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Gutsgrades 4–8: Shares themes of courage, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mid-Airgrades 5–8: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of courage, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Heroes for younger readers (K–2)

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

Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of courage and history.
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of courage and history.
Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack · grades K–3 — Shares themes of history.
Just Like Millie by Lauren Castillo · grades K–3 — Shares themes of courage and friendship.
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise · grades K–3 — Shares themes of courage and friendship.

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

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

Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list.
Two Degrees by Alan Gratz · grades 5–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and overlapping grades (5–8).
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of history, and overlapping grades (3–8).
Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliott · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of courage and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)).

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

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

Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list.
Two Degrees by Alan Gratz · grades 5–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and overlapping grades (5–8).
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz · grades 3–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of history, and overlapping grades (3–8).
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list.
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and overlapping grades (5–9).
Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of courage and history.
Torch by Lyn Miller-Lachmann · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of courage and history.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list, and overlapping grades (6–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Heroes?: The 10 closest matches to Heroes by Alan Gratz on ReadingList include The Lost Year, Ground Zero, Refugee, Simon Sort of Says, and Not Nothing. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, friendship, and history), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Heroes reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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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