What books are similar to The Girl with the Ghost Machine?

The 10 closest matches to The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano on ReadingList include Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, The Screaming Staircase, Among the Hidden, My Teacher Is an Alien, and Shape-Changer. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, fathers and daughters, and ghost stories), 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 The Girl with the Ghost Machine 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.

Books like The Girl with the Ghost Machine

If you liked The Girl with the Ghost Machine, read Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, The Screaming Staircase, or Among the Hidden — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez — shares grief

Get it on Amazon →

Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Looking for books like The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano (Science Fiction · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of grief, fathers and daughters, and ghost stories. 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.

Try it on audio — free. Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

New members only · many assigned titles are included with the membership. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Why each is a match

Amazon links below are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Sal and Gabi Break the Universegrades 4–7: Shares themes of grief, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Screaming Staircasegrades 3–8: Shares themes of ghost stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Among the Hiddengrades 5–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
My Teacher Is an Aliengrades 3–6: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Shape-Changergrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Ghost's Gravegrades 3–8: Shares themes of ghost stories, both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Virtually Perfectgrades 3–8: Both on the Nevada Young Readers' Award list, same genre (Science Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Pie in the Skygrades 3–6: Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybegrades 4–7: Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Girl with the Ghost Machine for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (4–7).
Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).
Aliens for Breakfast by Jonathan Etra · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like The Girl with the Ghost Machine for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (5–8).
The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Science Fiction), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (4–7).
Perfect by Natasha Friend · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grief and fathers and daughters and overlapping grades (6–9).
Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville · grades 3–8 — Same genre (Science Fiction) and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like The Girl with the Ghost Machine for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Shares themes of grief.
Perfect by Natasha Friend · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of grief and fathers and daughters and overlapping grades (6–9).
Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of grief.
Interstellar Pig by William Sleator · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Science Fiction).
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger · 790L — Shares themes of grief.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Girl with the Ghost Machine?: The 10 closest matches to The Girl with the Ghost Machine by Lauren DeStefano on ReadingList include Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, The Screaming Staircase, Among the Hidden, My Teacher Is an Alien, and Shape-Changer. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, fathers and daughters, and ghost stories), 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 The Girl with the Ghost Machine 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.

← Back to The Girl with the Ghost Machine