Books like Duel

If you liked Duel, read Wildful, Four Eyes: A Graphic Novel, or Roll for Initiative — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Duel by Jessixa Bagley (Middle Grade Graphic Novel · grades 4–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of grief, sisters, 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 4–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Duel

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Why each is a match

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Wildfulgrades 4–8
Shares themes of grief and family, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Four Eyes: A Graphic Novelgrades 3–7
Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel). Amazon → books like this →
Roll for Initiativegrades 4–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Lost Yeargrades 6–8
Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Between Two Brothersgrades 4–8
Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Curveballgrades 3–5
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–5). Amazon → books like this →
Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knightgrades 3–6
Shares themes of family, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Fowl Playgrades 3–6
Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Hope in the Valleygrades 3–6
Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (3–6). Amazon → books like this →
Ruby Lost and Foundgrades 6–9
Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Duel for younger readers (K–2)

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

  • Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief and family.
  • The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett · grades 2–5 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, same genre (Middle Grade Graphic Novel), and overlapping grades (2–5).
  • How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide by Ame Dyckman · grades K–2 — Shares themes of family.

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

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

  • Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief and family.
  • The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).

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

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

  • The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (4–6).
  • Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman · grades 3–7 — Shares themes of family, both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7).
  • Just a Pinch of Magic by Alechia Dow · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of family, both on the Washington Sasquatch Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8).

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

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

  • Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of grief and family and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt · grades 6–9 — Both on the Garden State Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2020s).
  • Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay · grades 7–12 — Shares themes of family and overlapping grades (7–12).
  • Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of grief.
  • How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of family.

Common questions

What books are similar to Duel?
The 10 closest matches to Duel by Jessixa Bagley on ReadingList include Wildful, Four Eyes: A Graphic Novel, Roll for Initiative, The Lost Year, and Between Two Brothers. Each is scored on shared themes (grief, sisters, and family), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Duel reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–8), 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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