What books are similar to Monster?

The 10 closest matches to Monster by Walter Dean Myers on ReadingList include Speak, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Long Way Down, The Poet X, and American Born Chinese. Each is scored on shared themes (criminal justice, race and adolescence, and identity and reputation), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 8–11), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Monster reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 8–11), 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 Monster

If you liked Monster, read Speak, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, or Long Way Down — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Looking for books like Monster by Walter Dean Myers (Young Adult Fiction · 670L · grades 8–11)? It’s most often read for its themes of criminal justice, race and adolescence, and identity and reputation. 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 8–11 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Speak690L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
The Perks of Being a Wallflower720L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
Long Way Down720L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
The Poet X800L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (800L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
American Born Chinese530L: Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and a close reading level (530L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
The Fault in Our Stars850L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (850L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults)1130L: Shares themes of incarceration, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Importance of Being Earnestgrades 9–12: Shares themes of identity and reputation, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Outsiders750L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
Artificegrades 9–12: Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo · 670L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (670L vs 670L).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (660L vs 670L), and the same era (1990s).
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare · grades 3–7 — Same genre (YOUNG ADULT FICTION).
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley · grades 3–7 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).

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

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

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo · 670L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (670L vs 670L).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, a close reading level (660L vs 670L), and the same era (1990s).
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12).
Never Thought I'd End Up Here by Ann Liang · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12).
Sky's End by Marc J. Gregson · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12).

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

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

Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Chaos Theory by Nic Stone · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Come Home Safe by Brian G. Buckmire · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (7–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Monster?: The 10 closest matches to Monster by Walter Dean Myers on ReadingList include Speak, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Long Way Down, The Poet X, and American Born Chinese. Each is scored on shared themes (criminal justice, race and adolescence, and identity and reputation), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 8–11), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Monster reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 8–11), 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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