What books are similar to The Graveyard Book?

The 10 closest matches to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman on ReadingList include The Giver, Tuck Everlasting, The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Each is scored on shared themes (found family, the supernatural and the living, and coming of age), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Graveyard Book reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Graveyard Book

If you liked The Graveyard Book, read The Giver, Tuck Everlasting, or The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Giver by Lois Lowry — shares coming of age

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 Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Middle Grade Fantasy · 820L · grades 5–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of found family, the supernatural and the living, and coming of age. 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 5–8 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.

The Giver760L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (760L vs 820L). Amazon → books like this →
Tuck Everlasting770L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)740L: Shares themes of found family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Witch of Blackbird Pond850L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (850L vs 820L). Amazon → books like this →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (750L vs 820L). Amazon → books like this →
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon810L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and a close reading level (810L vs 820L). Amazon → books like this →
Where the Red Fern Grows700L: Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (700L vs 820L). Amazon → books like this →
The Tale of Despereaux670L: Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and a close reading level (670L vs 820L). Amazon → books like this →
Ghost730L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (730L vs 820L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Graveyard Book for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (860L vs 820L).
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 820L).
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan · 750L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (750L vs 820L), and the same era (2000s).
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (770L vs 820L).
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin · 750L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 820L).

Books like The Graveyard Book for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

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 820L).
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan · 750L — Both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (750L vs 820L), and the same era (2000s).
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (770L vs 820L).
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin · 750L — Shares themes of identity, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 820L).
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead · 750L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (750L vs 820L), and the same era (2000s).

Books like The Graveyard Book for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

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 820L).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (850L vs 820L).
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · 920L — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (920L vs 820L).
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of coming of age and identity.
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya · 840L — Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (840L vs 820L).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Graveyard Book?: The 10 closest matches to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman on ReadingList include The Giver, Tuck Everlasting, The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Each is scored on shared themes (found family, the supernatural and the living, and coming of age), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 5–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Graveyard Book reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 5–8), 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 Graveyard Book