What books are similar to Scythe?

The 10 closest matches to Scythe by Neal Shusterman on ReadingList include Steelheart, The Fault in Our Stars, Unwind, Challenger Deep, and Children of Blood and Bone. Each is scored on shared themes (mortality, power, and ethics), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Scythe reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–12), 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 Scythe

If you liked Scythe, read Steelheart, The Fault in Our Stars, or Unwind — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson — shares power

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Looking for books like Scythe by Neal Shusterman (Science Fiction · grades 7–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of mortality, power, and ethics. 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 7–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Steelheartgrades 7–12: Shares themes of power, both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list, and same genre (Science Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Fault in Our Stars850L: Shares themes of mortality, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Unwindgrades 8–12: Is by Neal Shusterman, the same author, shares themes of power, and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
Challenger Deepgrades 9–12: Is by Neal Shusterman, the same author, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Children of Blood and Bonegrades 5–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (5–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Divergentgrades 8–12: Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+4 more shared lists), overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
I'll Give You the Sungrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Hate U Give590L: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Selectiongrades 7–12: Both on the Louisiana Teen Readers' Choice Award (LTRC) list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The House of the Scorpiongrades 7–10: Both on the Young Hoosier Book Award list, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Scythe for younger readers (K–2)

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

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick · grades K–3 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
Space Case by Edward Marshall · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Science Fiction).

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

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

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein · grades 4–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+4 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson · grades 3–6 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Superfudge by Judy Blume · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+3 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick · grades K–3 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein · grades 4–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+4 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson · grades 3–6 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).
Superfudge by Judy Blume · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+3 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).

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

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

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard · grades 9–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 7–10 — Both on the Land of Enchantment Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2010s).
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir · grades 9–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley · grades 9–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson · 1130L — Shares themes of power and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Scythe?: The 10 closest matches to Scythe by Neal Shusterman on ReadingList include Steelheart, The Fault in Our Stars, Unwind, Challenger Deep, and Children of Blood and Bone. Each is scored on shared themes (mortality, power, and ethics), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Scythe reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–12), 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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