What books are similar to Billy Budd?

The 10 closest matches to Billy Budd by Herman Melville on ReadingList include A Farewell to Arms, A Tale of Two Cities, Death and the King's Horseman, The Book Thief, and The Scarlet Letter. Each is scored on shared themes (open_syllabus_project, classics, and classic literature), 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 Billy Budd 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.

Books like Billy Budd

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

Looking for books like Billy Budd by Herman Melville (Historical Fiction · grades 11–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of open_syllabus_project, classics, and classic literature. 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.

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Why each is a match

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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 →
A Tale of Two Cities1170L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). 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 →
The Book Thief730L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (8–11). Amazon → books like this →
The Scarlet Letter1420L: Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Historical Fiction), and overlapping grades (10–12). Amazon → books like this →
Arielgrades 11–12: Shares themes of open_syllabus_project and overlapping grades (11–12). 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 →
My Ántonia1010L: Same genre (Historical Fiction) and overlapping grades (10–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Billy Budd 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).
A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park · 720L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).

Books like Billy Budd for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff · grades 6–8 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — 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).
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).

Books like Billy Budd for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara · grades 9–10 — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Historical Fiction).
Allies by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare · grades 9–10 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Same genre (Historical Fiction).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Same genre (Historical Fiction).

Common questions

What books are similar to Billy Budd?: The 10 closest matches to Billy Budd by Herman Melville on ReadingList include A Farewell to Arms, A Tale of Two Cities, Death and the King's Horseman, The Book Thief, and The Scarlet Letter. Each is scored on shared themes (open_syllabus_project, classics, and classic literature), 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 Billy Budd 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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