Books like Cinder

If you liked Cinder, read Everless, The House in the Cerulean Sea, or Lore — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Looking for books like Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Fantasy · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of serie:the_lunar_chronicles, extraterrestrial beings, and social classes. 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 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Cinder

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Why each is a match

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Everlessgrades 9–12
Shares themes of social classes, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The House in the Cerulean Seagrades 9–12
Shares themes of new york times bestseller, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Loregrades 9–12
Shares themes of new york times bestseller, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Darkangelgrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Watership Downgrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Roomgrades 9–12
Shares themes of new york times bestseller and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Lost Herogrades 5–9
Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Mark of Athenagrades 5–9
Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (5–9), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
A Fate So Coldgrades 7–12
Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon → books like this →
All We Have Leftgrades 9–12
Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Cinder for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).
  • How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).
  • Space Case by Edward Marshall · grades K–3 — Shares themes of extraterrestrial beings and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
  • We Are in a Book by Mo Willems · grades K–3 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and both on the California Young Reader Medal list.
  • Best Frints in the Whole Universe by Antoinette Portis · grades K–3 — Shares themes of extraterrestrial beings.

Books like Cinder for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Fantasy).
  • The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Fantasy), and the same era (2010s).
  • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine · grades 4–7 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).
  • Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).
  • Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers · grades 4–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).

Books like Cinder for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Fantasy).
  • The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks · grades 3–6 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Fantasy), and the same era (2010s).
  • The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and same genre (Fantasy).
  • Winterhouse by Ben Guterson · grades 6–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, same genre (Fantasy), and the same era (2010s).
  • 12 Again by Sue Corbett · grades 6–8 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list and same genre (Fantasy).

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

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

  • Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of new york times bestseller and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Divergent by Veronica Roth · grades 8–12 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s).
  • Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson · grades 3–10 — Both on the California Young Reader Medal list, overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s).
  • Eragon by Christopher Paolini · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (6–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Cinder?
The 10 closest matches to Cinder by Marissa Meyer on ReadingList include Everless, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Lore, The Darkangel, and Watership Down. Each is scored on shared themes (serie:the_lunar_chronicles, extraterrestrial beings, and social classes), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Cinder reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), 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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