Books like Great Expectations
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 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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
Little WomenLouisa May Alcott · 1300L
A Streetcar Named DesireTennessee Williams
A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens · 1170L
The OdysseyHomer · 1130L
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous WeaponSteve Sheinkin · 920L
Purple HibiscusChimamanda Ngozi Adichie · 920L
Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë · 890L
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
The Fault in Our StarsJohn Green · 850L
Why each is a match
- Little Women1300L
- Shares themes of ambition and coming of age, same genre (Classic Fiction), and a close reading level (1300L vs 1150L).
- A Streetcar Named Desiregrades 11–12
- Shares themes of social class and class and overlapping grades (11–12).
- A Tale of Two Cities1170L
- Shares themes of class and a close reading level (1170L vs 1150L).
- The Odyssey1130L
- Shares themes of loyalty and a close reading level (1130L vs 1150L).
- The Diary of a Young Girl1080L
- Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (1080L vs 1150L).
- Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon920L
- Shares themes of ambition and a close reading level (920L vs 1150L).
- Purple Hibiscus920L
- Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (920L vs 1150L).
- Jane Eyre890L
- Shares themes of class and overlapping grades (10–12).
- To Kill a Mockingbird870L
- Shares themes of coming of age and overlapping grades (7–10).
- The Fault in Our Stars850L
- Shares themes of coming of age and overlapping grades (9–12).