Books like The Maze Runner

If you liked The Maze Runner, read Divergent, The Hunger Games, or The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Divergent by Veronica Roth

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 Maze Runner by James Dashner (Dystopian · grades 7–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of survival, memory, and friendship. 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 7–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Maze Runner

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.

Divergentgrades 8–12
Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Dystopian), and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Hunger Games810L
Shares themes of survival, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+6 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsgrades 7–10
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
That's Not My Namegrades 9–12
Shares themes of survival, both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Impulsegrades 9–12
Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Twilightgrades 9–12
Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Shiver (Shiver, Book 1)grades 9–12
Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
I'll Give You the Sungrades 9–12
Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Scythegrades 7–12
Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+2 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Fault in Our Stars850L
Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Maze Runner for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list).
  • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list).
  • The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of memory.
  • The Yellow Bus by Loren Long · grades K–3 — Shares themes of memory.

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

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

  • Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo · 610L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Charlotte Award list (+1 more shared list).
  • The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of survival and both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list.
  • The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2000s).
  • 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass · grades 3–5 — Both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
  • The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke · grades 4–6 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).

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

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

  • The Wild Robot by Peter Brown · 740L — Shares themes of survival and both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list.
  • The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo · grades 3–6 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2000s).
  • The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke · grades 4–6 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
  • El Deafo by Cece Bell · 420L — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) list (+1 more shared list).
  • The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of friendship and both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list).

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

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

  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas · 590L — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+3 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel · 830L — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Unwind by Neal Shusterman · grades 8–12 — Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (8–12).
  • Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys · grades 9–12 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (9–12).

What to read after The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner is book 1 of 5 in James Dashner’s The Maze Runner series. Not done with the series yet? Follow the The Maze Runner reading order first — then come back for the matches above.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Maze Runner?
The 10 closest matches to The Maze Runner by James Dashner on ReadingList include Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, That's Not My Name, and Impulse. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, memory, and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Maze Runner reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–12), 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 Maze Runner

Browse by another angle

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: