Books like The Odyssey

If you liked The Odyssey, read Great Expectations, Julius Caesar, or Antigone — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens — shares loyalty

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Looking for books like The Odyssey by Homer (Epic Poetry · 1130L · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of heroism, homecoming, and hospitality and xenia. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Odyssey

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Why each is a match

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Great Expectations1150L
Shares themes of loyalty, both on the IB Diploma Programme — English A: Literature list, and a close reading level (1150L vs 1130L). Amazon → books like this →
Julius Caesargrades 9–11
Shares themes of loyalty, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (9–11). Amazon → books like this →
Antigonegrades 9–12
Shares themes of loyalty and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Steelheartgrades 7–12
Shares themes of heroism and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Outsiders750L
Shares themes of loyalty, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (7–9). Amazon → books like this →
Pride and Prejudice1100L
Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1100L vs 1130L). Amazon → books like this →
19841090L
Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1090L vs 1130L). Amazon → books like this →
A Tale of Two Cities1170L
Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1170L vs 1130L). Amazon → books like this →
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave1080L
Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1080L vs 1130L). Amazon → books like this →
Their Eyes Were Watching God1080L
Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (1080L vs 1130L). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

  • Charlotte's Web by E.B. White · 680L — Shares themes of loyalty and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
  • Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of loyalty.
  • Guji Guji by Chen, Zhiyuan · grades K–3 — Shares themes of loyalty.
  • Nimbus by Jan Eldredge · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of loyalty.
  • Saving Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of loyalty.

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

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

  • Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of loyalty.
  • Nimbus by Jan Eldredge · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of loyalty.
  • Saving Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of loyalty.
  • The Hidden Kingdom by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of loyalty.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Odyssey?
The 10 closest matches to The Odyssey by Homer on ReadingList include Great Expectations, Julius Caesar, Antigone, Steelheart, and The Outsiders. Each is scored on shared themes (heroism, homecoming, and hospitality and xenia), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Odyssey reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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.

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