Books like City of Ghosts

If you liked City of Ghosts, read Wonder, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or The Indian in the Cupboard — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab (Fantasy · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of ghosts, friendship, and family. 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 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to City of Ghosts

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Why each is a match

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Wonder790L
Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Indian in the Cupboardgrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
Dog Man390L
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (2–5). Amazon → books like this →
Smile410L
Shares themes of friendship, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Dollhouse Murdersgrades 4–7
Shares themes of ghosts and family, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsgrades 7–10
Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
Wait Till Helen Comesgrades 4–7
Shares themes of ghosts and family, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L
Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet820L
Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →

Books like City of Ghosts for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows · 580L — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (2–4).
  • Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo · 450L — Shares themes of friendship and family.
  • Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (2–4).
  • Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume · 470L — Shares themes of family, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).

Books like City of Ghosts for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

  • Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • The Lifters by Dave Eggers · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • The Lost Heir by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like City of Ghosts for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

  • Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • The Lifters by Dave Eggers · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
  • The Lost Heir by Tui T. Sutherland · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7).

Books like City of Ghosts for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

  • The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Drama by Raina Telgemeier · grades 5–9 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Shares themes of family, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of friendship and family.
  • Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list, and overlapping grades (7–10).

Common questions

What books are similar to City of Ghosts?
The 10 closest matches to City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab on ReadingList include Wonder, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Indian in the Cupboard, Dog Man, and Smile. Each is scored on shared themes (ghosts, friendship, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like City of Ghosts reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), 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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