What books are similar to The Wishing Spell?

The 10 closest matches to The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer on ReadingList include The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, Peter and the Starcatchers, Amari and the Night Brothers, The Sword of Summer, and A Tale Dark and Grimm. Each is scored on shared themes (fairy tales, characters in literature, and magic), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Wishing Spell reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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 Wishing Spell

If you liked The Wishing Spell, read The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, Peter and the Starcatchers, or Amari and the Night Brothers — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer — shares fairy tales

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Looking for books like The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (Fantasy · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of fairy tales, characters in literature, and magic. 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 3–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spellgrades 3–7: Is by Chris Colfer, the same author, shares themes of fairy tales, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
Peter and the Starcatchersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of characters in literature and magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of magic, both on the Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware Library Association, Youth Services Division) — Middle Readers division list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Sword of Summergrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, both on the Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware Library Association, Youth Services Division) — Middle Readers division list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
A Tale Dark and Grimmgrades 4–7: Shares themes of fairy tales, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Keeper of the Lost Citiesgrades 4–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mary Poppinsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
The Forbidden Librarygrades 2–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Headless Cupidgrades 4–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Liftersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Wishing Spell for younger readers (K–2)

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

Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky · grades 1–4 — Shares themes of fairy tales and magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (1–4).
The Paper Crane by Molly Bang · grades K–1 — Same genre (Fantasy).
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum · grades K–1 — Same genre (Fantasy).

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

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

Word Eater by Mary Amato · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Christmas of the Reddle Moon by J. Patrick Lewis · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5).
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of fairy tales, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5).
Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen · grades 3–8 — Both on the Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware Library Association, Youth Services Division) — Middle Readers division list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky · grades 1–4 — Shares themes of fairy tales and magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (1–4).

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

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

Word Eater by Mary Amato · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen · grades 3–8 — Both on the Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware Library Association, Youth Services Division) — Middle Readers division list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
12 Again by Sue Corbett · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–8).
The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–8).
Drive-By by Lynne Ewing · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters and overlapping grades (3–8).

Books like The Wishing Spell for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters.
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of brothers and sisters.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Everless by Sara Holland · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Wishing Spell?: The 10 closest matches to The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer on ReadingList include The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, Peter and the Starcatchers, Amari and the Night Brothers, The Sword of Summer, and A Tale Dark and Grimm. Each is scored on shared themes (fairy tales, characters in literature, and magic), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Wishing Spell reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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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