Books like The Taming of the Shrew

If you liked The Taming of the Shrew, read Henry IV, Part 1, Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems, or Barber Shop Chronicles — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare — shares drama

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Looking for books like The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (Fantasy · grades 11–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of drama, married people, and sex role. 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 11–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Taming of the Shrew

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Why each is a match

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Henry IV, Part 1grades 11–12
Is by William Shakespeare, the same author, shares themes of drama, and both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list. Amazon → books like this →
Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poemsgrades 11–12
Is by William Shakespeare, the same author, both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Barber Shop Chroniclesgrades 11–12
Shares themes of drama, both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Middlemarchgrades 11–12
Shares themes of married people, both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Our Country's Goodgrades 11–12
Shares themes of drama, both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Sweatgrades 11–12
Shares themes of drama, both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Rovergrades 11–12
Shares themes of drama, both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?grades 11–12
Shares themes of married people, both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
Cindergrades 9–12
Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Death and the King's Horsemangrades 11–12
Shares themes of drama and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Taming of the Shrew for younger readers (K–2)

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

Books like The Taming of the Shrew for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Books like The Taming of the Shrew for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Books like The Taming of the Shrew for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare · grades 9–10 — Is by William Shakespeare, the same author and shares themes of drama.
  • The Tempest by William Shakespeare · grades 9–12 — Is by William Shakespeare, the same author, both on the Cambridge AS & A-Level English Literature (9695) list, and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney · grades 9–10 — Shares themes of drama.
  • Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage · grades 9–10 — Shares themes of drama.
  • Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Taming of the Shrew?
The 10 closest matches to The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare on ReadingList include Henry IV, Part 1, Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems, Barber Shop Chronicles, Middlemarch, and Our Country's Good. Each is scored on shared themes (drama, married people, and sex role), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 11–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Taming of the Shrew reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 11–12), 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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