What books are similar to The Lost Library?

The 10 closest matches to The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass on ReadingList include The Liars Society, Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House, The Sherlock Society, Final Word (The Winterton Deception #1), and What Happened to Rachel Riley?. Each is scored on shared themes (mystery, books, and secrets), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Lost Library reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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 Lost Library

If you liked The Lost Library, read The Liars Society, Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House, or The Sherlock Society — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Liars Society by Alyson Gerber — shares mystery and secrets

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 Lost Library by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass (Middle Grade Mystery · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of mystery, books, and secrets. 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 4–8 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 Liars Societygrades 3–6: Shares themes of mystery, secrets, and friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead Housegrades 3–7: Shares themes of mystery and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Mystery). Amazon → books like this →
The Sherlock Societygrades 4–8: Shares themes of mystery and friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Final Word (The Winterton Deception #1)grades 3–7: Shares themes of mystery, same genre (Middle Grade Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
What Happened to Rachel Riley?grades 6–8: Shares themes of mystery, same genre (Middle Grade Mystery), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hallgrades 3–6: Shares themes of mystery and friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler700L: Shares themes of mystery, same genre (Middle Grade Mystery), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Fowl Playgrades 3–6: Shares themes of mystery, same genre (Middle Grade Mystery), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
When You Reach Me750L: Shares themes of mystery and friendship, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Ghost of Graylockgrades 5–8: Shares themes of mystery, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

A Mischief of Mice by Christie Matheson · grades K–3 — Shares themes of mystery and friendship.
Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of mystery, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of mystery and overlapping grades (4–8).
The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of mystery and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Night Train by Lorelei Savaryn · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of mystery and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of mystery, both on the Great Lakes Great Books Award list, and overlapping grades (2–8).
Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of mystery and overlapping grades (4–8).
The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of mystery and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Night Train by Lorelei Savaryn · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of mystery and overlapping grades (4–8).
Grounded by Aisha Saeed, S.K. Ali, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow & Huda Al-Marashi · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Washington Sasquatch Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of mystery and friendship.
Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of secrets and both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of mystery and both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list.
How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of mystery.
That's Not My Name by Megan Lally · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of mystery.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Lost Library?: The 10 closest matches to The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass on ReadingList include The Liars Society, Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House, The Sherlock Society, Final Word (The Winterton Deception #1), and What Happened to Rachel Riley?. Each is scored on shared themes (mystery, books, and secrets), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Lost Library reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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 Lost Library