What books are similar to Number the Stars?

The 10 closest matches to Number the Stars by Lois Lowry on ReadingList include Sarah, Plain and Tall, The Giver, The War That Saved My Life, All About Sam, and The Tale of Despereaux. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, friendship, and Holocaust), 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 Number the Stars 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 Number the Stars

If you liked Number the Stars, read Sarah, Plain and Tall, The Giver, or The War That Saved My Life — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan — shares family

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Looking for books like Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) · 670L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of courage, friendship, and Holocaust. 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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Sarah, Plain and Tall660L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
The Giver760L: Is by Lois Lowry, the same author, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and a close reading level (760L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
The War That Saved My Life580L: Shares themes of family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
All About Samgrades 4–6: Is by Lois Lowry, the same author, shares themes of family, and both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list. Amazon → books like this →
The Tale of Despereaux670L: Shares themes of courage, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (670L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)740L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (740L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
The Whipping Boygrades 3–7: Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (660L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+8 more shared lists), and a close reading level (790L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh890L: Shares themes of courage and family, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), and a close reading level (890L vs 670L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Number the Stars for younger readers (K–2)

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

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 670L).
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey · 730L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 670L).
Corduroy by Don Freeman · 600L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (600L vs 670L).

Books like Number the Stars for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Is by Lois Lowry, the same author, shares themes of family, and both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list.
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of courage and family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list (+8 more shared lists), and a close reading level (610L vs 670L).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Charlotte Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (880L vs 670L).
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Number the Stars for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of courage, friendship, and Holocaust, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 670L).
Attaboy, Sam! by Lois Lowry · grades 4–6 — Is by Lois Lowry, the same author, shares themes of family, and both on the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award list.
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of courage and family, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Charlotte Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (880L vs 670L).
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8).

Books like Number the Stars for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of courage, friendship, and Holocaust, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 670L).
Night by Elie Wiesel · 590L — Shares themes of Holocaust, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (590L vs 670L).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family, both on the Dorothy Canfield Fisher / Vermont Golden Dome Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and a close reading level (800L vs 670L).
Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of Holocaust and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of courage, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Number the Stars?: The 10 closest matches to Number the Stars by Lois Lowry on ReadingList include Sarah, Plain and Tall, The Giver, The War That Saved My Life, All About Sam, and The Tale of Despereaux. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, friendship, and Holocaust), 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 Number the Stars 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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