What books are similar to Powerless?

The 10 closest matches to Powerless by Matthew Cody on ReadingList include The Indian in the Cupboard, Ella Enchanted, The Giver, The Lost Hero, and The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1). Each is scored on shared themes (superheroes, friendship, and memory), 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 Powerless 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 Powerless

If you liked Powerless, read The Indian in the Cupboard, Ella Enchanted, or The Giver — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks — shares friendship

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Looking for books like Powerless by Matthew Cody (Fantasy · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of superheroes, friendship, and memory. 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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The Indian in the Cupboardgrades 3–6: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
Ella Enchantedgrades 4–7: Both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Giver760L: Shares themes of memory, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Lost Herogrades 5–9: Shares themes of memory, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)740L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotismgrades 3–8: Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Eragongrades 6–9: Both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
All the Lovely Bad Onesgrades 5–8: Both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Restart730L: Shares themes of memory, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Girl in a Cagegrades 3–8: Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Powerless for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Fantasy).
The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Fantasy).
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Enchanted Wood by Ruth Sanderson · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).

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

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

The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Fantasy).
The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Fantasy).
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s).
Magyk by Angie Sage · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).

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

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

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2000s).
Magyk by Angie Sage · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–8), and the same era (2000s).
The 13th Floor: A Ghost Story by Sid Fleischman · grades 4–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (2000s).
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2000s).

Books like Powerless 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 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Fantasy).
Everless by Sara Holland · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Fantasy).
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune · grades 9–12 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list and same genre (Fantasy).
My Ántonia by Willa Cather · 1010L — Shares themes of friendship and memory.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes · grades 9–12 — Both on the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award list (+1 more shared list).

Common questions

What books are similar to Powerless?: The 10 closest matches to Powerless by Matthew Cody on ReadingList include The Indian in the Cupboard, Ella Enchanted, The Giver, The Lost Hero, and The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1). Each is scored on shared themes (superheroes, friendship, and memory), 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 Powerless 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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