What books are similar to M.C. Higgins, the Great?

The 10 closest matches to M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton on ReadingList include Anthony Burns, Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, Missing May, The Westing Game, and Child of the Owl. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like M.C. Higgins, the Great reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–9), 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 M.C. Higgins, the Great

If you liked M.C. Higgins, the Great, read Anthony Burns, Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, or Missing May — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Anthony Burns by Virginia Hamilton

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Looking for books like M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton (Children's · grades 4–9)? 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 4–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Anthony Burnsgrades 4–10: Is by Virginia Hamilton, the same author, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, and same genre (Children's). Amazon → books like this →
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rushgrades 4–9: Is by Virginia Hamilton, the same author, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, and same genre (Children's). Amazon → books like this →
Missing Maygrades 4–9: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Westing Game750L: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–7), and the same era (1970s). Amazon → books like this →
Child of the Owlgrades 4–9: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Dark Is Risinggrades 4–9: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Road from Homegrades 4–10: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Tristan And Iseultgrades 4–9: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–9). Amazon → books like this →
Voyaging to Cathaygrades 4–10: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list, same genre (Children's), and overlapping grades (4–10). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →

Common questions

What books are similar to M.C. Higgins, the Great?: The 10 closest matches to M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton on ReadingList include Anthony Burns, Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, Missing May, The Westing Game, and Child of the Owl. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like M.C. Higgins, the Great reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–9), 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 M.C. Higgins, the Great

10 books similar to M.C. Higgins, the Great

Why each is a match

Common questions

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