What books are similar to Bridge to Terabithia?

The 10 closest matches to Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson on ReadingList include James and the Giant Peach, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Walk Two Moons, When You Reach Me, and Out of the Dust. Each is scored on shared themes (friendship, imagination, and grief and loss), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–6), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Bridge to Terabithia reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–6), 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 Bridge to Terabithia

If you liked Bridge to Terabithia, read James and the Giant Peach, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, or Walk Two Moons — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Children's Fiction · 810L · grades 4–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of friendship, imagination, and grief and loss. 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 4–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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James and the Giant Peach870L: Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (870L vs 810L). Amazon →
The Witch of Blackbird Pond850L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (850L vs 810L). Amazon →
Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (770L vs 810L). Amazon →
When You Reach Me750L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (750L vs 810L). Amazon →
Out of the Dust740L: Shares themes of grief and loss, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (740L vs 810L). Amazon →
The BFG720L: Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (720L vs 810L). Amazon →
Charlotte's Web680L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Children's Fiction). Amazon →
Tuck Everlasting770L: Shares themes of rural childhood, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (770L vs 810L). Amazon →
The Adventures of Captain Underpants720L: Shares themes of friendship and imagination and a close reading level (720L vs 810L). Amazon →
Hello, Universe690L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (690L vs 810L). Amazon →

Books like Bridge to Terabithia for younger readers (K–2)

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

Corduroy by Don Freeman · 600L — Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (600L vs 810L).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (560L vs 810L).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (860L vs 810L).
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak · 740L — Shares themes of imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (740L vs 810L).
I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li · grades K–3 — Shares themes of friendship and imagination.

Books like Bridge to Terabithia for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry · 670L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (670L vs 810L).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (660L vs 810L).
Corduroy by Don Freeman · 600L — Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (600L vs 810L).
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths · 560L — Shares themes of friendship and imagination, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (560L vs 810L).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (820L vs 810L).

Books like Bridge to Terabithia for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry · 670L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (670L vs 810L).
Holes by Louis Sachar · 660L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (660L vs 810L).
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (820L vs 810L).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (790L vs 810L), and the same era (1970s).
Wonder by R.J. Palacio · 790L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (790L vs 810L).

Books like Bridge to Terabithia for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini · 840L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (840L vs 810L).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 810L).
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë · 890L — Shares themes of class, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (890L vs 810L).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 810L).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and a close reading level (720L vs 810L).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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