Books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Looking for books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Young Adult Fiction · 720L · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of coming of age, mental health, and friendship. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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Why each is a match

Speak690L
Shares themes of mental health, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (690L vs 720L).
The Outsiders750L
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (750L vs 720L).
The Poet X800L
Shares themes of coming of age, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (800L vs 720L).
The Fault in Our Stars850L
Shares themes of coming of age, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (850L vs 720L).
Monster670L
Same genre (Young Adult Fiction), a close reading level (670L vs 720L), and the same era (1990s).
American Born Chinese530L
Shares themes of coming of age, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (530L vs 720L).
Four for the Roadgrades 9–12
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Shut Up, This Is Seriousgrades 9–12
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsgrades 7–10
Shares themes of friendship and growing up and overlapping grades (7–10).
Long Way Down720L
Same genre (Young Adult Fiction) and a close reading level (720L vs 720L).

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