Books like Tarot Says Beware

If you liked Tarot Says Beware, read The Name of the Game Was Murder, The Stalker, or Dead Man in Indian Creek — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Name of the Game Was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon — shares detective and mystery stories and murder

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Looking for books like Tarot Says Beware by Betsy Cromer Byars (Mystery · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of detective and mystery stories, fortune-tellers, and murder. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Tarot Says Beware

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Why each is a match

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The Name of the Game Was Murdergrades 3–8
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories, murder, and mystery and detective stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon → books like this →
The Stalkergrades 6–8
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories, murder, and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Dead Man in Indian Creekgrades 4–6
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Terror at the Zoogrades 3–6
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Down the Rabbit Holegrades 2–8
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and murder, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
Closed for the Seasongrades 3–8
Shares themes of murder and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Spirit Seekergrades 6–8
Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Twisted Summergrades 6–8
Shares themes of murder and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Framed!grades 3–8
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon → books like this →
Skeleton Creekgrades 3–8
Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Tarot Says Beware for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Scared Stiff by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Bigfoot by Hal George Evarts · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of detective and mystery stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of murder, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Alvin's Swap Shop by Clifford B. Hicks · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Tarot Says Beware for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • The Dark and Deadly Pool by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • The Other Side of Dark by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8).
  • Scared Stiff by Willo Davis Roberts · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–6).
  • Bigfoot by Hal George Evarts · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of detective and mystery stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6).

Books like Tarot Says Beware for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of murder and mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • The Man in the Woods by Rosemary Wells · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Plague Year by Stephanie S. Tolan · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Fake ID by L. R. Giles · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of detective and mystery stories and same genre (Mystery).
  • Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).

Common questions

What books are similar to Tarot Says Beware?
The 10 closest matches to Tarot Says Beware by Betsy Cromer Byars on ReadingList include The Name of the Game Was Murder, The Stalker, Dead Man in Indian Creek, Terror at the Zoo, and Down the Rabbit Hole. Each is scored on shared themes (detective and mystery stories, fortune-tellers, and murder), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Tarot Says Beware reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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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