Books like Great Expectations

If you liked Great Expectations, read Little Women, A Streetcar Named Desire, or A Tale of Two Cities — 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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Little Women1300L
Shares themes of ambition and coming of age, same genre (Classic Fiction), and a close reading level (1300L vs 1150L). Amazon →
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 →
A Tale of Two Cities1170L
Shares themes of class, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and a close reading level (1170L vs 1150L). Amazon →
The Odyssey1130L
Shares themes of loyalty and a close reading level (1130L vs 1150L). Amazon →
The Diary of a Young Girl1080L
Shares themes of coming of age and a close reading level (1080L vs 1150L). Amazon →
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 →
Jane Eyre890L
Shares themes of class, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (10–12). Amazon →
To Kill a Mockingbird870L
Shares themes of coming of age, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (7–10). Amazon →
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 →
Antigonegrades 9–12
Shares themes of loyalty, both on the AP English Literature & Composition list, and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon →

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).

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

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