What books are similar to The Haunting?

The 10 closest matches to The Haunting by Joan Lowery Nixon on ReadingList include Whispers from the Dead, Spirit Seeker, Twisted Summer, The Dollhouse Murders, and Something Upstairs. Each is scored on shared themes (haunted houses, ghosts, and mystery), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Haunting reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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 Haunting

If you liked The Haunting, read Whispers from the Dead, Spirit Seeker, or Twisted Summer — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Whispers from the Dead by Joan Lowery Nixon — shares mystery and detective stories

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Looking for books like The Haunting by Joan Lowery Nixon (Mystery · grades 6–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of haunted houses, ghosts, and mystery. 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 6–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Whispers from the Deadgrades 6–9: Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, shares themes of mystery and detective stories, and both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list. Amazon → books like this →
Spirit Seekergrades 6–8: Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, shares themes of mystery and detective stories, and same genre (Mystery). Amazon → books like this →
Twisted Summergrades 6–8: Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Dollhouse Murdersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of ghosts and mystery, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Something Upstairsgrades 6–8: Shares themes of ghosts, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
All the Lovely Bad Onesgrades 5–8: Shares themes of ghosts and mystery and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Ghost of Graylockgrades 5–8: Shares themes of ghosts and mystery and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Don't Look Behind Yougrades 6–8: Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Curse of the Blue Figurinegrades 6–8: Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Third Eyegrades 6–8: Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Haunting for younger readers (K–2)

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

Piggins by Jane Yolen · grades K–3 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and same genre (Mystery).
Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list and same genre (Mystery).
In a Dark, Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz · grades K–3 — Same genre (Mystery).

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

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

A Haunting in Williamsburg by Lou Kassem · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of ghosts and mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
The Name of the Game Was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 3–8 — Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, shares themes of mystery and detective stories, and same genre (Mystery).
Piggins by Jane Yolen · grades K–3 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories, both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list, and same genre (Mystery).
Ghosts Don't Get Goose Bumps by Elvira Woodruff · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).
Something Big Has Been Here by Jack Prelutsky · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of mystery and detective stories and same genre (Mystery).

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

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

The Dark and Deadly Pool by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, shares themes of mystery and detective stories, and same genre (Mystery).
The Other Side of Dark by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, shares themes of mystery and detective stories, and same genre (Mystery).
The Stalker by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, shares themes of mystery and detective stories, and same genre (Mystery).
The Name of the Game Was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 3–8 — Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, shares themes of mystery and detective stories, and same genre (Mystery).
A Deadly Game of Magic by Joan Lowery Nixon · grades 6–8 — Is by Joan Lowery Nixon, the same author, shares themes of mystery and detective stories, and overlapping grades (6–8).

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

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

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of mystery, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12).
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of mystery, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12).
Under the Surface by Diana Urban · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of mystery, same genre (Mystery), and overlapping grades (7–12).
Middlemarch by George Eliot · grades 11–12 — Same genre (Mystery).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Haunting?: The 10 closest matches to The Haunting by Joan Lowery Nixon on ReadingList include Whispers from the Dead, Spirit Seeker, Twisted Summer, The Dollhouse Murders, and Something Upstairs. Each is scored on shared themes (haunted houses, ghosts, and mystery), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Haunting reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–9), 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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