Books like The Hero and the Crown
If you liked The Hero and the Crown, read The Bronze Bow, The Door in the Wall, or The Slave Dancer — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Closest match: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
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Looking for books like The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Young Adult Fiction · grades 3–7)? 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 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.
10 books similar to The Hero and the Crown
- The Bronze BowElizabeth George SpeareThe Bronze BowElizabeth George Speare
The Door in the WallMarguerite de Angeli
The Slave DancerPaula Fox
Up a Road SlowlyIrene Hunt
The First Part LastAngela Johnson
Tiger EyesJudy Blume
Toning the SweepAngela Johnson
Dear Mr. HenshawBeverly Cleary
Dicey's SongCynthia Voigt
Jacob Have I LovedKatherine Paterson
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Why each is a match
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- The Bronze Bowgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (YOUNG ADULT FICTION), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
- The Door in the Wallgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
- The Slave Dancergrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
- Up a Road Slowlygrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
- The First Part Lastgrades 4–8
- Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Tiger Eyesgrades 4–8
- Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Toning the Sweepgrades 4–8
- Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Dear Mr. Henshawgrades 4–6
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
- Dicey's Songgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
- Jacob Have I Lovedgrades 3–7
- Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (3–7), and the same era (1980s). Amazon → books like this →
Books like The Hero and the Crown for middle school (grades 6–8)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.
- Monster by Walter Dean Myers · 670L — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson · 690L — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo · 800L — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Books like The Hero and the Crown for high school & teens (grades 9–12)
Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.
- Artifice by Sharon Cameron · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
- Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
- Chaos Theory by Nic Stone · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
- Come Home Safe by Brian G. Buckmire · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
- Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Young Adult Fiction).
Common questions
- What books are similar to The Hero and the Crown?
- The 10 closest matches to The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley on ReadingList include The Bronze Bow, The Door in the Wall, The Slave Dancer, Up a Road Slowly, and The First Part Last. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
- Are books like The Hero and the Crown reading-level appropriate?
- Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), 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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