Books like Heroes

If you liked Heroes, read Number the Stars, Simon Sort of Says, or The Lost Year — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Heroes by Alan Gratz (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) · grades 6–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of courage, friendship, and history. 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 6–8 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Heroes

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Why each is a match

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Number the Stars670L
Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
Simon Sort of Saysgrades 6–8
Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Lost Yeargrades 6–8
Shares themes of history, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)). Amazon → books like this →
Alliesgrades 5–9
Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list. Amazon → books like this →
Ground Zerogrades 6–8
Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Impossible Creaturesgrades 4–8
Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Not Nothinggrades 4–8
Shares themes of friendship and history, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Skyridersgrades 6–8
Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Swim Teamgrades 3–7
Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The First State of Beinggrades 6–8
Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Heroes for younger readers (K–2)

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

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

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

  • Misfit Mansion by Kay Davault · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of courage and friendship and both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list.
  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Two Degrees by Alan Gratz · grades 5–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Volunteer State Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).

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

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

  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Two Degrees by Alan Gratz · grades 5–8 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and overlapping grades (5–8).
  • Fablehaven by Brandon Mull · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Volunteer State Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling · 880L — Shares themes of courage and friendship, both on the Great Stone Face Book Award list, and overlapping grades (4–7).
  • Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams · grades 5–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–8).

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

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

  • Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz · grades 5–9 — Is by Alan Gratz, the same author, shares themes of courage, and overlapping grades (5–9).
  • Now Let Me Fly: A Portrait of Eugene Bullard by Ronald Wimberly · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of courage and history.
  • Torch by Lyn Miller-Lachmann · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of courage and history.
  • Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of courage and friendship and overlapping grades (6–9).

Common questions

What books are similar to Heroes?
The 10 closest matches to Heroes by Alan Gratz on ReadingList include Number the Stars, Simon Sort of Says, The Lost Year, Allies, and Ground Zero. Each is scored on shared themes (courage, friendship, and history), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Heroes reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–8), 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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