Books like The Pearl

Looking for books like The Pearl by John Steinbeck (Literary Fiction · 1010L · grades 6–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of greed, colonial exploitation, and family. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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.

10 books similar to The Pearl

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Why each is a match

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time1090L
Shares themes of family, same genre (Literary Fiction), and a close reading level (1090L vs 1010L).
The Joy Luck Club930L
Shares themes of family, same genre (Literary Fiction), and a close reading level (930L vs 1010L).
The Secret Life of Bees840L
Shares themes of family, same genre (Literary Fiction), and a close reading level (840L vs 1010L).
The Wild Robot740L
Shares themes of family and nature and overlapping grades (4–6).
The Color Purple670L
Shares themes of family, same genre (Literary Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Rascalgrades 5–8
Shares themes of family and nature and overlapping grades (5–8).
Summer of the Monkeysgrades 4–7
Shares themes of family and nature and overlapping grades (4–7).
The Trumpet of the Swangrades 3–6
Shares themes of family and nature and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Wild Robot Escapesgrades 3–6
Shares themes of family and nature and overlapping grades (3–6).
When Sea Becomes Skygrades 3–6
Shares themes of family and nature and overlapping grades (3–6).

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