Books like Great Expectations

If you liked Great Expectations, read A Tale of Two Cities, Little Women, or A Streetcar Named Desire — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (Classic Fiction · 1150L · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of ambition, social class, and coming of age. 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 Great Expectations

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Why each is a match

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A Tale of Two Cities1170L
Is by Charles Dickens, the same author, shares themes of class, and both on the AP English Literature & Composition list. Amazon → books like this →
Little Women1300L
Shares themes of ambition and coming of age, same genre (Classic Fiction), and a close reading level (1300L vs 1150L). Amazon → books like this →
A Streetcar Named Desiregrades 11–12
Shares themes of social class and class, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (11–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Odyssey1130L
Shares themes of loyalty and a close reading level (1130L vs 1150L). Amazon → books like this →
The Diary of a Young Girl1080L
Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (1080L vs 1150L). Amazon → books like this →
Purple Hibiscus920L
Shares themes of coming of age, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and a close reading level (920L vs 1150L). Amazon → books like this →
Jane Eyre890L
Shares themes of class, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (10–12). Amazon → books like this →
To Kill a Mockingbird870L
Shares themes of coming of age, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon → books like this →
The Secret Life of Bees840L
Shares themes of coming of age, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–11). Amazon → books like this →
Antigonegrades 9–12
Shares themes of loyalty, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Great Expectations for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

Books like Great Expectations for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

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

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

  • Fences by August Wilson · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of ambition, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Macbeth by William Shakespeare · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of ambition, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of coming of age, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of social class, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–12).
  • The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of social class, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–12).

Common questions

What books are similar to Great Expectations?
The 10 closest matches to Great Expectations by Charles Dickens on ReadingList include A Tale of Two Cities, Little Women, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Odyssey, and The Diary of a Young Girl. Each is scored on shared themes (ambition, social class, and coming of age), 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 Great Expectations 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 2026-08-11. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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