What books are similar to The Fault in Our Stars?

The 10 closest matches to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green on ReadingList include The Poet X, Long Way Down, Scythe, Everything, Everything, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Each is scored on shared themes (mortality, grief, and love), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Fault in Our Stars reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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 The Fault in Our Stars

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

Closest match: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo — shares coming of age

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Looking for books like The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Young Adult Fiction · 850L · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of mortality, grief, and love. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Poet X800L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list (+2 more shared lists), and same genre (Young Adult Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Long Way Down720L: Shares themes of grief, both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Young Adult Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Scythegrades 7–12: Shares themes of mortality, both on the California Young Reader Medal list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Everything, Everythinggrades 9–12: Shares themes of love, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Perks of Being a Wallflower720L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Young Adult Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
Four for the Roadgrades 9–12: Shares themes of grief, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Young Adult Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
The Silence That Binds Usgrades 9–12: Shares themes of grief, both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list, and same genre (Young Adult Fiction). Amazon → books like this →
American Born Chinese530L: Shares themes of coming of age, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
Never Thought I'd End Up Heregrades 7–12: Shares themes of love, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Selectiongrades 7–12: Shares themes of love, both on the Louisiana Teen Readers' Choice Award (LTRC) list, and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Fault in Our Stars for younger readers (K–2)

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

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (860L vs 850L).
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (720L vs 850L).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
Chester by Mélanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Fault in Our Stars for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Shares themes of grief, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 850L).
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls · 700L — Shares themes of grief and coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (700L vs 850L).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), a close reading level (790L vs 850L), and the same era (2010s).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (860L vs 850L).
Rebound by Kwame Alexander · 780L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (780L vs 850L).

Books like The Fault in Our Stars for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Shares themes of grief, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 850L).
The Giver by Lois Lowry · 760L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), and a close reading level (760L vs 850L).
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls · 700L — Shares themes of grief and coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (700L vs 850L).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), a close reading level (790L vs 850L), and the same era (2010s).
Rebound by Kwame Alexander · 780L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (780L vs 850L).

Books like The Fault in Our Stars 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 — Shares themes of love, both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd · 840L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (840L vs 850L).
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien · 880L — Shares themes of mortality, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (880L vs 850L).
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë · 890L — Shares themes of love, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (890L vs 850L).
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger · 790L — Shares themes of grief, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (790L vs 850L).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Fault in Our Stars?: The 10 closest matches to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green on ReadingList include The Poet X, Long Way Down, Scythe, Everything, Everything, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Each is scored on shared themes (mortality, grief, and love), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Fault in Our Stars reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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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