Books like City of Ghosts

If you liked City of Ghosts, read Wonder, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or Out of My Mind — 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 (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Diary of a Wimpy Kid950L
Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L
Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet820L
Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
Sal and Gabi Break the Universegrades 4–7
Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon →
The Dragonet Prophecygrades 3–7
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
The Indian in the Cupboardgrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon →
The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spellgrades 3–7
Shares themes of family, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →
The Liftersgrades 3–8
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon →
The Lost Heirgrades 3–7
Shares themes of family, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon →

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

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

  • Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • 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.
  • Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo · grades 2–8 — Shares themes of friendship and overlapping grades (2–8).

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

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— 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).
  • The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (5–8).

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

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— 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).
  • The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon · 510L — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of family, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (5–8).

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).
  • 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 (KBA) list, and overlapping grades (7–10).
  • The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton · 750L — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (7–9).
  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship and family and overlapping grades (7–10).

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

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