What books are similar to The Scarlet Letter?

The 10 closest matches to The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne on ReadingList include A Tale of Two Cities, A Farewell to Arms, Billy Budd, Death and the King's Horseman, and My Ántonia. Each is scored on shared themes (sin and guilt, public shame vs private conscience, and Puritan society), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 10–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Scarlet Letter reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 10–12), 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.

Books like The Scarlet Letter

If you liked The Scarlet Letter, read A Tale of Two Cities, A Farewell to Arms, or Billy Budd — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

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Looking for books like The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Historical Fiction · 1420L · grades 10–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of sin and guilt, public shame vs private conscience, and Puritan society. 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 10–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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A Tale of Two Cities1170L: Both on the AP English Literature & Composition list (+2 more shared lists), same genre (Historical Fiction), and a close reading level (1170L vs 1420L). Amazon → books like this →
A Farewell to Armsgrades 11–12: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Billy Buddgrades 11–12: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Death and the King's Horsemangrades 11–12: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
My Ántonia1010L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (10–12). Amazon → books like this →
Salt to the Sea560L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
All We Have Leftgrades 9–12: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Henry IV, Part 1grades 11–12: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Jude the Obscuregrades 11–12: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Mansfield Parkgrades 11–12: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →

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

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

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis · 1000L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen · 730L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).

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

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

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor · 920L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep · 870L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia · 750L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff · grades 6–8 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).

Books like The Scarlet Letter for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Scarlet Letter?: The 10 closest matches to The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne on ReadingList include A Tale of Two Cities, A Farewell to Arms, Billy Budd, Death and the King's Horseman, and My Ántonia. Each is scored on shared themes (sin and guilt, public shame vs private conscience, and Puritan society), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 10–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Scarlet Letter reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 10–12), 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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