What books are similar to Keeper of the Lost Cities?

The 10 closest matches to Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger on ReadingList include Amari and the Night Brothers, 12 Again, The Lifters, Mary Poppins, and Peter and the Starcatchers. Each is scored on shared themes (magic, identity, and friendship), 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 Keeper of the Lost Cities 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 Keeper of the Lost Cities

If you liked Keeper of the Lost Cities, read Amari and the Night Brothers, 12 Again, or The Lifters — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston — shares magic

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Looking for books like Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (Fantasy · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of magic, identity, and friendship. 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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Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
12 Againgrades 6–8: Shares themes of magic, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Liftersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic and friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mary Poppinsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Peter and the Starcatchersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Forbidden Librarygrades 2–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Headless Cupidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Sword of Summergrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Wishing Spellgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Word Eatergrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Keeper of the Lost Cities for younger readers (K–2)

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

Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).
How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).
Ursula Upside Down by Corey R. Tabor · grades K–3 — Shares themes of identity and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb · grades K–2 — Shares themes of identity and friendship.
How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias · grades K–2 — Shares themes of identity and friendship.

Books like Keeper of the Lost Cities for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of magic and identity and overlapping grades (3–7).
Just a Pinch of Magic by Alechia Dow · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of magic and friendship and overlapping grades (4–8).
Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine · grades 4–7 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).

Books like Keeper of the Lost Cities for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of magic and identity and overlapping grades (3–7).
Just a Pinch of Magic by Alechia Dow · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of magic and friendship and overlapping grades (4–8).
Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the California Young Reader Medal list, and same genre (Fantasy).
Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster · grades 6–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (2020s).

Books like Keeper of the Lost Cities for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2020s).
Lore by Alexandra Bracken · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2020s).
Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of identity and friendship and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).
The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).

What to read after Keeper of the Lost Cities

Keeper of the Lost Cities is book 1 of 9 in Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities series. Not done with the series yet? Follow the Keeper of the Lost Cities reading order first — then come back for the matches above.

Common questions

What books are similar to Keeper of the Lost Cities?: The 10 closest matches to Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger on ReadingList include Amari and the Night Brothers, 12 Again, The Lifters, Mary Poppins, and Peter and the Starcatchers. Each is scored on shared themes (magic, identity, and friendship), 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 Keeper of the Lost Cities 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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