What books are similar to Holes?

The 10 closest matches to Holes by Louis Sachar on ReadingList include Matilda, Out of My Mind, Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, Wonder, and Restart. Each is scored on shared themes (fate vs choice, friendship, and justice), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Holes reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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 Holes

If you liked Holes, read Matilda, Out of My Mind, or Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Matilda by Roald Dahl — shares justice

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Looking for books like Holes by Louis Sachar (Middle Grade Fiction · 660L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of fate vs choice, friendship, and justice. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Matilda840L: Shares themes of justice, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Wayside School Gets a Little Strangergrades 4–6: Is by Louis Sachar, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+16 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Restart730L: Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (730L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroomgrades 4–6: Is by Louis Sachar, the same author, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+8 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+14 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Pax760L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+16 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (820L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH790L: Both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (790L vs 660L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Holes for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (470L vs 660L).
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 660L).
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña · 610L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (610L vs 660L).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

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

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

Wayside School Is Falling Down by Louis Sachar · grades 3–5 — Is by Louis Sachar, the same author, shares themes of friendship, and both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list).
Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (830L vs 660L).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (740L vs 660L).
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt · 550L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

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

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

Frindle by Andrew Clements · 830L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (830L vs 660L).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Both on the Hawai'i Nēnē Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fiction), and a close reading level (740L vs 660L).
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt · 550L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly · 690L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fiction).

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

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

Unwind by Neal Shusterman · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of justice and both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+1 more shared list).
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+4 more shared lists) and a close reading level (590L vs 660L).
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson · 690L — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (690L vs 660L), and the same era (1990s).
Legend by Marie Lu · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of justice, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–9).
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of justice, both on the North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Holes?: The 10 closest matches to Holes by Louis Sachar on ReadingList include Matilda, Out of My Mind, Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger, Wonder, and Restart. Each is scored on shared themes (fate vs choice, friendship, and justice), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Holes reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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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